So if you know me; you know I am a curtain and drapery geek. Lately, I am a bit obsessed with Inside Outside’s work. It’s Genius! Their work redefines what soft custom is all about- from the sheer scale and size, and flexible structures, not silhouettes, to ingenious installations.
One that speaks to all of these is the LOCHAL in Tilburg. For the former locomotive Hall for the Dutch Railway, Inside Outside created an integrated space concept centered on staircases. (They use the term staircase landscape to describe the concept) that can offer different scenarios for visitors including lectures, exhibits, workshops or reading. The spaces can be temporarily defined using three pairs of custom woven curtains that hang the full height of the hall – 50 feet or 590 inches!
Since September 2017, Inside Outside and the TextielMuseum have been working together on the design and realization of the six large-scale curtains. Each curtain is made of two opposite ‘planes’, consisting of a densely woven, canvas cloth-like part and a soft, transparent, voile-like part. The opaque parts are reversible jacquard weaves consisting of Trevira CS; monofilament yarns make up the sheer parts. Transparent plastic “windows” are inserted between the planes and at strategically placed locations to let in light.
The panels have turned grommeted headers. Each are marked for assembly and use steel carabiners to attach the panels together. Cherry pickers took the installers to the top to attach the curtains to motorized rods. Yes, they are motorized and move through the day! Every time the curtains slide from one position to another, it creates ever-changing effects of light and atmosphere in the room. During the day, abundant daylight creates intricate shadow patterns. After dark, the building is turned ‘inside out’, with the interior becoming an inviting beacon in the city.
Petra Blaisse of Inside Outside describes her work as flexible textile architecture and says this…” Our work introduces a flexible form of architecture and spatial composition by working with soft and pliable -often living- materials that create movement and ever-changing effects.”
If I peaked your curiosity, join me in the Netherlands, May 7 – 14, 2020 to see it up close and personal. We’ll be in Tilburg and meeting Inside Outside!
Project credits:
Inside Outside/ Interior Architecture
Civic/ Architects
Braaksma and Roos /Renovation Architects
BNA Award- Best Building of the Year 2019
Images via: Inside Outside Peter Tijuis
