Page 57 - Designing Ways 279

a mediaeval trading city with its many
city gates and provide passers-by with a
glimpse of the idyllic life going on inside.
The New Delft Blue gates take their
inspiration from traditional Delft Blue
porcelain plates. The design vocabulary
of these plates has changed radically over
the centuries, from copying Chinese and
Japanese Oriental designs, to making
contemporary Dutch designs. The
differentiation between a decorative,
nature-inspired frame and an idyllic
scene, however, has been a recurring
trait. As such, this division is the starting
point for the New Delft Blue design,
where the idyllic scene is the ever-
changing courtyard life, while the gates
stand as a three-dimensional frame with
algorithmically-designed, nature-inspired
patterns that guide people from the public
space to the semi-public courtyard.

The Innovation
The approximately 3000 unique
ceramic tiles that cover the two gates
are 3D printed, allowing for the creation

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