Bjørn Vijlbrief, architecture photographer and artist at Vijlbrief Fotografie took some great pictures of the Dutch Vault, a project by Heylen Warehouses for the Royal Dutch Mint in Houten.
“The remarkable, gold-coloured facade with its alternating surfaces is a source of inspiration for me”, says the artist.
The production facility for the Royal Dutch Mint is a secured, concrete bunker of a building. Inside, the magic happens. Coins from various countries are minted in a streamlined production process, integrating the logistics of raw materials to the storage of finished product. All under one roof.
As the Dutch Vault is located in the urban core of Houten, it was a challenge to design a façade that reacted accordingly. Although the concrete walls ensured security to the interior program, it provided little value to the surrounding urban landscape. The design team of wilma wastiau architects therefore decided to use the multifaceted production process of coins as inspiration for the façade design. The cladding panels were fastened to the façade in a three dimensional pattern, giving the effect of intricate facets of color and light, similar to the details of a coin.