Dancing Façades
It is most unusual for a project developer to work with an artist and an architect from the very beginning of the process. Supported by the city of Groningen, Ilona Lénárd and Kas Oosterhuis were given the opportunity to convince both the real estate agent and the project developer that the concept of the dancing façades was right for this project in De Hunze housing district. Containing living rooms, kitchens and garages, the brick plinth visually merges with the spacious gardens at the front of the houses. The small boxes dancing atop the dark plinth are all different in shape and have their own colour schemes. Though built according to the principles of mass housing, each unit has the effect of being unique. Individual colour schemes and dancing contours of the boxes guarantee the uniqueness of each home. Seen from directly in front their behaviour is strictly individual, seen at an angle they group together to form one large jumping coloured strip, where both contours and colours turn around the corners to fool the eye of the observer. In the contract of sale it is stated that the owner has purchased a work of art and will respect the colour schemes of the artist.
Design team: Ilona lénárd [dancing facades], Kas Oosterhuis, Jeroen Huisinga | commissioned by City of Groningen | 1995