Royal Tichelaar Makkum meets New York City

Product design

The facade of the newly opened Museum of Arts and Design in New York features an iridescent terracotta-tiled facade made in collaboration with Royal Tichelaar Makkum.

By Jeanne Tan / 30-09-2008

Shimmering facade

The new building of the Museum of Arts and Design has officially opened in New York, clad with a skin of iridescent tiles made in collaboration with one of The Netherlands' oldest companies Royal Tichelaar Makkum. Designed by American architectural practice Allied Works Architecture, the museum has its new home at Columbus Circle at the south west corner of Central Park. The building offers twice the exhibition space of the previous building and for the first time has a dedicated floor for its permanent collection.

With a strong urban presence, the facade features a series of slits and banded cuts that admit controlled light into the building and offer views into the park and cityscape. Viewed from certain angles and in particular light conditions, the spectacular terracotta facade appears iridescent thanks to a complex custom-designed glazing created by Royal Tichelaar Makkum, changing subtly with the light of the day. NBK Germany provided the base cladding tiles.

Photography: Hélène Binet