This apartment building rises in the heart of Amsterdam and is part of a general redevelopment project that took off twenty years ago. Boxed in between alleys and hidden in the dense mass of historical constructions, the block addresses the unique surroundings through its facades looking in three different urban directions. In them the most prominent feature is their outer skin, a veil simultaneously concealing and showing a varied, complex interior. Formed by modular elements, this skin is built with aluminum trays perforated with a rigorous geometric pattern (the envelope is formed by 48,000 hexagons), thanks to a robotized arm cut by laser. The modules covering the windows are operable, so that, depending on climate or illumination requirements, the envelope can be opened to trap solar radiation (fundamental in Amsterdam’s dark center) or work like a lattice providing shade and protecting the privacy of the residents.