The LocHal library is a new urban living room for Tilburg in an iconic former locomotive shed of the Dutch National Railways. It houses a Library, cultural institutions and co-working spaces. Civic architects, Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau and Inside Outside are responsible for the architectonic design of the renovation and the textiles, Mecanoo was in charge of the interior of the monumental building.
The result is an impressive landscape of stairs with enormous movable textile walls that accentuate the scale of the building and define different spaces. Mecanoo created contrast by combining characteristic historical elements with new oak and steel additions. A colour palette of red and orange contributes to a warm atmosphere. There is a diversity of settings for meeting, collaboration, and concentrated work.
In the City Café, old tracks are used to move large wheeled 'train' tables in different positions inside and outside. Historic industrial columns along an interior street are fitted with wooden tables and lighting for reading and studying. The street is flanked by bookcases and display units. In the shared office space, a former working pit has been transformed into a furniture element with a mezzanine level for concentrated work. On the ground floor, the children’s library was designed with input from the nearby theme park, the Efteling. On the stair landscape, everyone can ‘build’ their meeting place or quiet working niche with the flexible oak seating elements.