MVRDV Brings Fresh Innovation through Glass Mural in Office and Retail

Usually, mural art is scratched on a paper, canvas, or wall. However, unlike murals in general, MVRDV commissioned artists Denial and Sheefy McFly to create murals on the facades of office and retail buildings in Detroit East Market, United States. The 3,716-square-meter building is shaped like a pile of three blocks arranged in different sizes. Denial and Sheefy McFly drew the mural enveloping the building's glass-made façade, creating an aesthetic of new artwork to the area.

Glass Mural on a building in Detroit's Eastern Market area

MVRDV also collaborated with FIRM Real Estate and the Architecture Talent Agency to create this building and invite mural artists. The building, which looks like a pile of shifting beams, consists of three floors with a level retail storefront. The uppermost part, namely the third floor, is used to access the roof deck and circulation. The glass façade used is the result of production with digital ceramic printing techniques, making it stronger and more sturdy.

The building consists of three shifting stacking blocks

Not all buildings are covered by murals. Some parts with images such as "clouds" are left transparent as windows for visitors to see the environment outside and as natural lighting. The work "Glass Mural" performed by these two artists uses cutting-edge glass printing techniques to combine colorful artwork with transparency areas at some point. The images on the murals are like those of a woman, an eye, and a tiger, which are filled with other images. The mural artists use primary colors (red, yellow, blue), and several other eye-catching bright colors to give the building a strong character. The first block of buildings features Denial's work, the second block features works from Sheefy McFly, and the third will be released to other artists later to come and paint.

A section of a building showing mural art works

This Glass Mural is an innovation and a new approach from MVRDV to preserve artwork and memory through architecture and technology. Winy Maas, the founding partner at MVRDV, said, "We loved the idea of the artworks that bring this area to life, and this building is our tribute to this character, eternalized through a printing technique. It allows us to interact with the spirit of the neighborhood in a playful and unexpected way. Our decision to do so with glass is also practical, as it allows us to incorporate windows to become a part of the artwork, not an obstacle for artists to work around. That enables a greater level of faithfulness to the original artwork that will be recreated and greater artistic freedom for the new artwork."

View Glass Mural on Eastern Market activity during the day

Side view of the building

Artworks and designs such as murals applied to buildings like this should be a reference for other artists to be free to work anywhere and on unique objects, as long as they are legal. With the presence of this Glass Wall, it is hoped that it will become a means to appreciate art for the wider community who pass through the building.

Glass Murals can be a form of public appreciation for art