Sophie Valla's 'LED Cloud' Turns Old Gas Stations Into Artificial Skies
Posted by Richard Clarke on 29th Apr 2013
The Dutch have never been the kind to think inside the box – and they’ve shown us again what is possible when we really channel our creative juices.
Sophie Valla is an architect based in Amsterdam, Holland, and was tasked with an interesting project when the North South subway was constructed in North Amsterdam.
The resultant space that was vacated when the Nieuwe Leeuwarderweg highway was dropped by a height of 7m became the scene of a project intended to give residents a new and contemporary recreational area.
In particular, 2 gas stations from the 1980’s were originally going to be demolished, only for it to become the standout feature of the new leisure area.
The gas stations were remodelled using 60 textile panels from fabrics used in advertising, and were cut to different sizes to meet the dimensions of the underside of the structures in already in place.
Combined with colourful floodlights, the whole thing formed an LED-like screen, capable of being programmed independently. The end result was a 10 x 40m artificial sky, with 20 dynamic light animations lasting 30 minutes each.
The idea is for the animations to recreate scenarios from shifting cloudy Dutch skies, to bright and stormy days during sunrise and sunset.
The project was finished off with stylishly placed concrete slabs, along with outdoor furniture placed along the support structures, giving the whole area a conspicuous yet trendy hangout spot in the new Noorderpark.
Our only complaint about it is that it looks quite cold!
What do you think of the colourful work done by Sophie Valla Architects? Take a look at the video below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
