Interior design: arctic skies overhead

28 of February '23

Interior design: arctic skies overhead

...

The interior of the Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost science center's café in Germany is reminiscent of the true Arctic north. The room is a research ship, and the frosty sky and the shimmering whistles on it are created by Knauf Ceiling Solutions vertical panels in a deep, dark navy blue color.

Interior design: arctic sky overhead

Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost is located in the city of Bremerhaven, in northern Germany. It is an educational science center that is accessible to all. It almost literally takes visitors on a day trip around the world starting from the building's location point, which is precisely 8°34' east longitude.Visitors travel through climate zones: from Mediterranean Sardinia, through deserts, winding rainforest paths in Cameroon, the beaches of Samoa, and, well, the Arctic coast of the North Sea.

Interior design: arctic skies overhead

It was in this frosty area that architects from the GfG / Gruppe für Gestaltung GmbH studio arranged a winter recreation spot - Café Südwärts. The designers came up with the idea that it should not be a simple refreshment point where you can sit down. It should become part of the journey. That's why the interiors were arranged to resemble a research ship heading to Antarctica. The tables, chairs and bar counter were made of wood to resemble the transport boxes on the boat. Lighting frames and wall elements are covered with drawings of corroded steel as on a real ship. The room is surrounded by realistic ice mountains made of wallpaper and metal railings of the ship.

Interior design: arctic sky overhead

But all these elements would not create a truly frosty and Arctic atmosphere if it were not for the dark navy blue sky illuminated by stars. The designers used navy blue metal panels from the Knauf Ceiling Solutions line to arrange the ceiling. Their plane has a fine perforation, which greatly improves the cafe's acoustics and noise absorption, ensuring that sounds do not bounce off hard walls and countertops. The tiny points of light incorporated into the hanging panels give the impression of twinkling, luminous stars as in the sky of the far north.

Interior design: arctic skies overhead

At the Klimahaus center, visitors learn first and foremost about climate. In the 11,500 m2 of exhibition space, they visit climate zones while listening to, among other things, climate change on earth. It is not without reason that the materials used by the designers were also chosen with an eye to ecology. The metal Baffles Knauf Ceiling Solutions installed on the ceiling are part of the circular economy trend because they are Cradle to Cradle certified, confirming eco-friendly production using recycled materials and the fact that they can be recycled and reused in production at the end of their useful life, significantly reducing waste in the environment.