Architect Jordy Vijfschaft creates a spatial object on the facade for Groningen Designs for Mary Jane Schoenenboetiek, made from waste material. You can see the end result at the store during the design route on Sunday 3 November. GO!
1. Can you briefly describe yourself and your work?
‘My name is Jordy Vijfschaft and I work as an architect in training and designer at Onix architects in Groningen. Working at Onix architects gives me opportunities to further develop elements in both technical and aesthetic areas. At the moment, I mainly work on houses that vary in terms of wishes and requirements.‘
2. On which assignment do you work and for which store?
‘I am currently developing a product for Mary Jane’s Shoe Boutique in Oosterstraat in Groningen. The intention is to add more dimension and dynamism to the beautiful, but very narrow and deep building. The adjacent buildings ensure that the small building does not stand out much. Through a smart addition, we try to make store stand out and make it more appealing.’
3. Which waste material will you use and why?
‘I am going to work with material that is suitable for indoors and outdoors. The concept lends itself not only to working with plastic, but also with other solid waste streams. For example, the product can be made from polystyrene, polycarbonate but also from cardboard. However, the cardboard will have to be treated with a Nano coating for an outdoor situation.’
4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
‘The inspiration for this project is very close. As architects, we build with building blocks that lend themselves to creating buildings. We want to create something that can grow and of which we ourselves do not know where it is going. For this project I focus on structures. A source of inspiration is wrinkled paper. It can take a form that you could not have imagined beforehand. By linking this to technology and construction, you can create surprisingly fun things.’
5. What do you think of the theme as hospitable (with the doors closed)?
‘I believe that few retailers consciously think about this. We must therefore aim for situations where retailers can become more aware of this problem.’
Jordy is the second designer we introduce. The other designers Aniek Kroes, Carmelita Gonesh and Sandra de Groot are still to follow. Keep an eye on our site and socials!
You can read more about the Groningen Designs project here.
Photography: Janna Bathoorn.