Zeppelins in the Hague Meijer

acoustics improving art

The acoustics in the second hall of the Hague city hall were so bad that the doorman could not even understand the names of visitors when they came to report to him. The first proposal to cover the entire hall inside with white artificial fur and skai leather bands with silver press studs as seams was not taken seriously by the client. (He didn't dare go to Richard Meier, the architect of the city hall, with it)

Then we came up with three giant coloured zeppelins. 7 metres long and 2 metres in diameter. Each Zepp contains 30 m2 of sound-absorbing rock wool. Meier then determined that there should be two a yellow one (the sun(sic!)) and a green one (nature(sic!)). With a postbox and counter made of Beech Bruynzeel Antisone, we achieved just enough m2 of "open window" (a measure of sound absorption) to get acceptable acoustics. Fortunately, the whole project fell back into place when the doorman started crying when the reverberation time reducing FC ADO Den Haag colours were raised above his head.

Client: Kantoren Fonds Nederland
Location: The Hague
Year: 1997
Size: 300 m2

With Mans Hofhuis and TentTech