A green accent in the Police Headquarters
From studio experiment to monumental textile landscape
On the Binckhorst in The Hague, the new Police Headquarters designed by CEPEZED architects, has taken its final shape. On the fourth floor, in the collaborative work area, a green felt wall by Petra Vonk creates a striking accent across an impressive 80 square meter wall. Positioned between a seating area platform and a glass partition, the work brings color, rhythm and a sense of natural layering to the space.
What began as a small scale experiment in Petra’s studio evolved into a ten meter high spatial composition. A process in which experimentation, material, craftsmanship and architecture were continuously brought into dialogue.
Designing through experimentation
“That’s not how I work,” Petra explains. “I design through experimentation.”
In her studio she explores structures by cutting, punching, folding and weaving felt and paper. For the Police Headquarters this process resulted in five different structural studies. She then explored what would happen when these small scale experiments were translated into a ten meter high work. Discussing further with Det van Oers and Robbert van de Straat from CEPEZED architects one of the concepts developed into the final design.
The choice of green came about by chance while experimenting Petra used green felt strips left over from another project. Seven different shades of green are interwoven into an almost organic play of colors, forming a vertical interpretation of a landscape: an abstract plant wall that feels natural and alive, while remaining rhythmic and geometric.
A natural material and the ancient technique of Sprang
Petra works with German milled 100% wool felt. A renewable and biodegradable material, wool felt is moisture resistant, self-extinguishing and has good thermal and acoustic properties, with highly saturated and lightfast colors.
The structure is created using Sprang, an ancient textile technique in which stretched threads are twisted and interlaced. The weaving is built up from the center towards both the top and bottom, and fastened off in the middle.
For this work, Petra chose a weaving structure in which the interaction between the colors creates geometric and fluid, organic color shapes. Petra and her team created the weaving entirely by hand.
Ten meters high, 6 panels
A work of ten meters high requires not only a different approach to design, but also a different way of thinking about construction and installation. The woven structure is divided into six panels, each stretched within an elegant frame made from sturdy bamboo poles. Arranged in two rows, their horizontal lines correspond with the three levels of the space, creating a subtle connection with the architecture.
The panels are positioned approximately fifteen centimeters away from the wall, creating space between the textile and the architecture. Light falls behind the weaving, creating constantly changing shadows on the light-grey wall. The cavity also slightly enhances the acoustic performance of the thick felt by allowing the sound-absorbing material to work with an air gap behind it.
Each panel could be completely finished in the studio. The bamboo frames are demountable and can easily be taken apart and rolled up for transport, on site it only needed to be assembled and mounted.
A dialogue between geometry and organic growth
Translating a small scale experiment in the studio into a ten meter high installation was a remarkable challenge. The six panels required precision and craftsmanship, while transport and installation demanded careful planning and close collaboration. The final work does not attempt to disappear into the architecture, but acts as a statement piece. The patterns of the left and right panels interact with one another, creating a play between order and organic growth, between the individual colors, and between geometry and natural movement.
What began as an experiment with leftover green felt strips ultimately became a monumental textile landscape: ten meters high, made from 100% wool and bamboo, and rooted in an ancient weaving technique.
An intriguing, tactile green accent in the Police Headquarters and a beautiful example of how experimentation and craftsmanship, when brought to an architectural scale, can give a space an entirely new identity.
The making off
Unboxing giant wool felt rolls
Weaving the panels
Installing the panels on location
Weaving the panels
