Modern Gargoyles Are Everything We Want Them To Be
Time to give emojis the leverage they deserve.
Architect Changiz Tehrani designed a building in Amersfoort, Netherlands moulding the infamous WhatsApp emojis on its concrete facade.
‘Emojis are going to be some of the most recognisable icons of the 21st century’ says Tehrani. So why not brighten up someone's day and cement 22 of our all-time favourite emojis to the exterior of a building? After all, society has since moved on from the kings and gargoyles of the medieval times.
Courtesy of Attika Architekten and Bart van Hoek
The emojis are presented in white concrete creating a distinguishable contrast against the red brick structure, but they are only present on one side of the building.
Tehrani who works for the Dutch firm, Attika Architekten tells Verge, ‘There’s all these young people there, and emoji is a thing of now.’
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.’
The mixed-use building features shops on the lower half and flats above. The emoticons face the town square which encompasses a library, theatre and a school giving plently of passerbys the opportunity to enjoy.
Courtesy of Attika Architekten and Bart van Hoek
Attika Architekten used the WhatsAppp emojis as a template for the designs and converted the faces into 3D models that were later moulded into the concrete by the building company.
Tehrani believes that architects should aim to be more open to what’s contemporary now rather than what 'could' be a timeless.
After all, creating memories from what’s popular from our generation would give our communities something to look back on in many years to come.
What do you think of the contemporary emojis? Tweet us @DesignCurial
