Emoji as architectural ornament? A Dutch building did it

In another sign that the digital world is taking over the analog one, a new building in the Netherlands has been emblazoned with popular emoji. Designed by Changiz Tehrani of Dutch firm Attika Architekten, the four-story brick building features 22 face emojis cast in white concrete. They act as decorative circles that mark the top perimeter of each floor on one side.

Cheeky and irreverent, the now-iconic symbols were meant to reference gargoyles and other figures used in historic architecture, as well as function as a time capsule of sorts.

“In classical architecture they used heads of the king or whatever, and they put that on the facade,” Tehrani told our friends over at The Verge. “So we were thinking, what can we use as an ornament so when you look at this building in 10 or 20 years you can say ‘Hey, this is from that year!’”

The mixed-use building comprises retail space on the ground floor and residences on the upper floors. It’s also sited just off the town square, which is home to a library, theater, and school. According to the architect, the students get a kick out of the emoji.

“There’s all these young people there, and emoji is a thing of now,” says Tehrani. “The students sit in the square and have lunch and they take pictures. They like it. And with our architecture we always like to put in small details that makes the project a little bit more than a boring building.” Head over to The Verge for more.

Via: The Verge