Dezeen Magazine

ReOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Billowing fabric mushrooms by New York designers Situ Studio have cropped up in the great hall of the Brooklyn Museum.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Pleated fabric surrounds the 16 columns that support the ceiling of the first-floor hall, located between galleries, a cafe and a bookshop.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Acrylic-stone benches and ledges encircle the base of each mushroom.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

The exhibition will remain in place until 15 January 2012.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Other fabric interiors from the Dezeen archive include a hotel with a rippling ceiling and a showroom where translucent curtains hang from above.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Photography is by Keith Sirchio.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Here's some more information from the materials supplier:


Brooklyn Museum utilizes HI-MACS® Solid Surface in the ten month long “reOrder”exhibit

The Brooklyn Museum is a lasting landmark in the New York area that brings more than 450,000 visitors annually to see its acclaimed artistic temporary exhibitions and permanent collections. The Great Hall of the museum, located on the first floor, is a 10,000 square foot room filled with 16 giant columns. The hall which is positioned between the café, museum book store and other creative exhibits, acts as a common area for museum visitors and personnel. It is also currently hosting an exhibit called, “reOrder,” until January 15 of 2012.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

“reOrder” is a site-specific installation created by Situ Studio, an architectural design studio founded in 2005 in Brooklyn, New York. The installation alters the current classical architecture to help visitors understand the impressive scale of the main entrance, as well as explore the architectural ornamentation that allows the Grand Hall to not only be artfully decorated, but also functional.

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

In order to create the entire installment, LG Hausys donated its solid surfacing material for the project. Slabs of acrylic HI-MACS® Solid Surfaces were used to construct the Great Hall’s furniture. Wrapped benches and tables were positioned at the bottom of the columns, which currently are covered in elaborate fabric designs (pictured above).

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

“LG Hausys' solid surfacing was used to construct furniture around the base of the 16 large classical columns in the Great Hall,” said Wes Rozen, one of Situ Studio’s five founding partners.  “A specialized computer was used to precisely cut pieces of HI-MACS®, which were then thermoformed into a range of curved shapes and brought together in wedges to encircle the base of the columns.  The finished furniture elements appear as extensions to the existing Doric architectural order, or as entirely new type of architectural ornamentation which is also functional.”

reOrder at the Brooklyn Museum by Situ Studio

Because HI-MACS® Solid Surfaces can be precisely thermoformed, or designed in virtually any size or three-dimensional shape, Situ Studio approached LG Hausys in order to use their materials. LG Hausys donated the material, and a sub-contractor finalized the thermoforming and seating installation. The designers from Situ Studio chose the White Quartz color variation from LG Hausys’ HI-MACS® Solid Surfaces Classic collection.