In designing the impressive new building constructed to house the works of artist Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, architects Renzo Piano decided to weave Ferrari textiles into their plans. Their desire to protect the painter's works from the ravages of time and sunshine led them to dress the facades of this massive building in Soltis 86.

A highly landscaped structure, it espouses its surroundings with the interior spaces are inspired by the three artificial hills that make up the local area. The Central Hill contains over 4,000 of the Bern painter's oils, water colors and drawings, the North Hill houses a multi-purpose hall plus an auditorium and a museum for children, while the South Hill is home to a research center.
Over and beyond the exceptional nature of the collections and the originality of the project, this is an architectural first. The Renzo Piano building responded to the challenge of  creating a space in the image of nature; something that nature could have done but didn't.

In this conceptualization Soltis 86 specialist fabric proved to be a key element in the protection of the highly exposed works. In an atmosphere of light, lightness and transparency “ as envisioned by the architect “ every detail of lighting intensity had to be controlled in the exhibition areas to preserve all the qualities of highly light-sensitive masterpieces and contribute to their long life.

That requirement, plus the wavy geometry of the buildings “ glazed 150-meter-long surfaces up to 19 meters high “ gives an idea of the importance accorded to the choice of textiles and the challenge of installing them.

To avoid direct overhead natural lighting, the museum is lighted via its west facade. It is fitted with large Soltis 86 screens that filter and soften incoming light. The height of these fabrics required some specific values. According to Morten Petersen, the architect in charge of the project:  A competitor's textile had initially been favored but the facade specialist pointed us toward the Soltis qualities of stability, especially in the diagonals. This was the reference that provided the best balance between light weight, stability and filtered light.

Added to these technical features are the Ferrari range aluminum and raw silk color shades that exactly matched the requirements of the famous Italian architect.

Restorers recommend light values of between 50 and 100 lux for Paul Klee's works. Just to give you an idea, values of 100,000 lux are regularly measured on sunny July days.

For specific applications Ferrari's Soltis 86 “ with its range of 23 colors “ ideally weds efficient solar protection to open-work light-filtering. Soltis 86 eliminates up to 86% of the sun's rays thereby creating quality ambient lighting and better heat management within the buildings. This is a textile that also provides greater visibility toward the outside and exceptional visual comfort.

• Soltis Textiles

If you found this case study interesting, don't miss an issue of Blinds & Shutters magazine - register today.