NACH – New Courthouse in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Acoustic wall linings for 25 courtrooms and more than 3,000 m², with thousands of hand-finished slats.
The interior of the new courthouse in Amsterdam combines an impressive scale with the precision of hand craft. Acoustic wall linings were installed in 25 courtrooms, over a total area of more than 3,000 m².
At Craftworks we produced thousands of semicircular slats, each one hand-covered in natural leather. In total we made more than 70 kilometres of upholstered elements. Despite the scale, every detail required the same accuracy, repeatability and care.
The spatial form of the slats gives the rooms an elegant, ordered character and meets high requirements for acoustics and fire safety. The large number of doors, technical openings and fittings meant that much of the lining had to be made individually and fitted precisely to the architecture of each room.
This project shows that production at scale does not have to mean giving up hand craft and attention to detail.
