It's a Blackout for Broad Museum

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29 July 2016 | Updated 01 January 1970

The Tess 660 automated blackout shading system was recently installed by Hunter Douglas Architectural USA on the spectacular vaulted rooflights of the new Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles.

The recently opened Broad Museum of Contemporary Arts takes its name from its founders, philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The museum houses the Broad Collection of over 2,000 pieces spanning five decades from post World War 2 to the present. The collection is housed in a 120,000sq.ft new building - Diller Scofido + Renfro’s ‘veil and vault’ design which creates unusual lighting effects across the exhibition space, generating different atmospheres throughout the galleries as the day draws out.

In order to control the ambient light levels and give the museum the ability to block out the light entirely when required, each of the individually shaped rooflights was fitted with a Guthrie Douglas’ TESS 660 tensioned blackout shade.

Tom Roberson, general manager of HD Architectural Specialty division, said: "I love the 660 for the way it blends in with the glazing surround and its reliability and efficiency." Combined with Serge Ferrari’s Soltis B92 external blackout fabric and automation based on Somfy’s Sonesse quiet motor, the Tess 660 is versatile and reliable according to the manufacturing contributors.

Serge Ferrari’s Soltis B92 fabric is recognised for its dimensional stability, flatness and strength. Sonesse motors for quiet building automation were an essential element in a design for quiet contemplation of art.

To cover the entire roof, Hunter Douglas Architectural supplied over 350 TESS 660 systems in a wide range of sizes and were supported for the seven week installation on site by Guthrie Douglas technicians from the UK. The shades were connected to a single wireless network that covers the roof allowing the owners to close them quickly and easily from inside the building as part of the building management system.

Picture: Blackout Shades Provide the Ambience for the Broad Museum, Los Angeles

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Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 29 July 2016

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