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LocHal Library Interior Design by Mecanoo

The LocHal is a new, world-class urban living room for Tilburg in an iconic former locomotive shed of the Dutch National Railways. It is located next to the station, in the heart of Tilburg’s new City Campus, and houses the Midden-Brabant Library, the cultural institutions Kunstloc and Brabant C and the co-working spaces of Seats2meet. The LocHal is a space for both young and old to read, learn, study, meet and gather. It is a place for testing, creating, exhibiting and presenting the latest innovations.

Mecanoo’s playful and innovative interior design forms striking contrasts by combining characteristic historical elements with new oak and steel additions. A colour palette of reds and oranges contributes to a warm atmosphere. There is a diversity of settings for meeting, collaboration, and concentrated work.

The eye-catcher is the city café featuring a bar with red, brown and gold ceramic tiles, crowned with a neon LocHal logo. Old tracks remain visible in the concrete floor, and are used to move three large wheeled “train” tables. A single table can become the extension of the bar or, when combined with another table, forms a stage with the stairs as a tribune. They can also be moved outside to form a stage for outdoor events. Full-height textile walls, designed by Inside Outside and the Textile Museum, soften the industrial hall.

They conveniently divide the space into larger or smaller activity areas. Crossing the building is an interior street lined with historic industrial columns on which the old layers of paint are still visible. By fitting the columns with wooden tables and lighting, they are given a new lease of life as places for reading and studying. The street is flanked by bookcases and more inviting bookshop-style display units.

The nearby fairytale theme park Efteling is the source of inspiration for the children's library. Bookcases take on the form of coloured pencils or rulers. Children can walk through giant fairytale books, read at tables shaped like mobile phones or listen to storytelling sessions while lying on an open book. Even the sitting poufs have playful letters in the form of fairytale animals.

The stair landscape that Civic Architects designed for the monumental LocHal takes you to the upper floors. With the flexible oak seating elements, everyone can ‘build’ their own meeting place or quiet working niche. The LocHal is not only a library but also a laboratory where visitors are challenged, gain new knowledge and learn about new innovations. Specially designed labs can be found throughout the building: the Digilab, GameLab, FutureLab, FoodLab, KennisMakerij (LearningLab), TijdLab (TimeLab), Stemmingmakerij (DialogueLab), WoordLab (WordLab) and workshop rooms.

Status: Built
Location: Tilburg, NL
Firm Role: Interior Designer
Additional Credits: Design Team: CIVIC Architects, architectural design; Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau, restoration; Mecanoo architecten, interior design; Inside Outside in collaboration with the TextielMuseum, interior concept and textiles.

Programme: Mecanoo was responsible for the interior design of the Bibliotheek Midden-Brabant, Kunstloc Brabant and Brabant C in a former locomotive hall of the Dutch National Railways. The interior design comprises 7,000 m2 including 1,300 m2 of offices.

Image report by Ossip Architectuurfotografie

The stair landscape that Civic architects designed for the monumental LocHal takes you to the upper floors. Parts of the stairs are made of oak. For instance, you can 'build' a meeting place or a quiet place to work undisturbed.

The old tracks are visible in the concrete floor. They are used to move three large wheeled “train” tables. For example, a single table can become the extension of the bar; when placed together, the tables form a stage or catwalk with the stairs as a tribune. They can even be moved outside along the tracks to form a stage for events on the square.

The eye-catcher is the city café featuring a bar with red, brown and gold ceramic tiles and a neon LocHal logo on top. It can easily be spotted from passing trains.

Characteristic historical elements form an exciting combination with new oak and steel additions, and a warm colour palette of reds and oranges. The interior is varied, playful and innovative. There is a diversity of atmospheres for meeting, collaboration, and concentrated work.

The StemmingMakerij (DialogueLab) is for people who want to make their voices heard. In this enclosed space, there is room for sixty people during meet-ups, shake-ups, presentations or workshops.

In the intimate Writing Room, books continue seamlessly from the walls onto the ceiling, wrapping the entire space and turning it into an immersive world of literature and language.

The KennisMakerij (LearningLab) can be found on the first floor. It is the big stage built from old books. They are stacked in different heights and topped with an oak counter. During a meet-up, lecture or performance, you can sit on the 'stair tribune', which connects the first and second floors. The open character of the space invites discussion during book presentations and debates.

The textile walls designed by Inside Outside, inspired by Tilburg as a textile city, create intimate spaces in this large hall.

In this book street, books are also checked in and out. The bookcase wall on the office side has transparent display cases for works of art and unique books. This wall also gives staff the right balance between privacy and connection with the library.

Crossing the building is an interior street lined with historic industrial columns on which the old layers of paint are still visible. By fitting the columns with wooden tables and lighting, they are given a new lease of life as places for reading and studying.

The Efteling theme park is the source of inspiration for the children's library. Bookcases take on the form of colored pencils or rulers. You can walk through the giant fairytale books, look for a book or play.

The little ones can read a book at tables shaped like mobile phones, or listen to storytelling sessions while lying on an open book. Even the sitting poufs have playful letters in the form of fairytale animals.

A lowered working pit, where oil was once collected, has been transformed into an orange furniture element. This element includes a mezzanine level with places for concentrated work and a view to the outside.

Visual connection from The KennisMakerij (LearningLab) and the eye-catcher city café.

The LocHal is not only a library, but also a laboratory where you are challenged, gain new knowledge and learn about new innovations. These specially designed labs can be found throughout the building.

The conversion of the monumental building is a collaborative achievement: CIVIC architects and Braaksma & Roos carried out the architectural design and renovation, Inside Outside in collaboration with the TextielMuseum, designed the interior concept and textiles and Mecanoo was responsible for the interior design.