“Delft Tiled Floor - a Dutch Custom Design”

The design of the new Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis hospital resembles the rod of Asclepius, with the staff forming the central binding axis of the building. The floor of this connecting route is unique in its own particular way: The ceramic tiles have been laid in a pattern specially designed by EGM architecten and inspired by Delftware. The tiles used were selected from Mosa's existing collections.

“The Beige & Brown collection was laid in three shades and formats on the central corridor, finished with small, light blue square tiles from the Global Collection,” says José Maase, senior industrial designer at Mosa. The small light blue tiles, which have the same quality and thickness as the Beige & Brown tiles, have been incorporated into the pattern in the corners. This design is known as a “corner figuration.” As the central axis pierces the entire building and the design calls for different tiles in large formats, logistics is an operation in and of itself. The connecting tiles had to undergo final processing in order to integrate the corner figurations, which made this a truly custom design project for Mosa.

Project architect Thomas Brouwer and interior architect Erik Pijnacker were involved in the design of the tiled floor on behalf of EGM architecten. The duo created a design that echoes the essence of the building's design. “The Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis hospital aims to become a ‘connected’ hospital. That's exactly the characteristic we wanted to achieve with the central axis: It connects all the wards and has its own identity and feel. The floor's custom-made design complements this perfectly.”

Girl with a Pearl Earring
The choice of ceramic tiles is directly related to the legacy of Delft as a city of ceramics as well as the birthplace of the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. “As part of the design process, we downsampled the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring into a pixel pattern and incorporated the painting's most significant color accents into the floor design. The tiles selected from the Beige & Brown collection reflect the color of unbaked porcelain clay.” All in all, the floor’s a real eye-catcher and an inspiring design for the hospital.”

EGM Architecten