Inside the Inktpot

This post is heavy on pictures, light on history. Plus, I think I covered most of the pertinent information about the building last week when I posted about the special opening of the building to the public. On the outside, it looks like a massive, dark behemoth of a building, and inside, you still get that feeling with the dark hallways and ever-present brick.

It’s a bit like a cross between a castle dungeon and some of the oppressive-yet-fanciful buildings seen in films like Brazil or Metropolis. Of course, the comparison with Metropolis isn’t such a stretch, since both the film and the building are connected with German Expressionism. It was easy to imagine workers moving in ordered, quick procession through the hallways, perhaps with the sound of chugging trains overlaid. After all, this building has been used for ProRail offices. Still, if you make a wrong turn or misbehave, you may find yourself disappearing down a darkened staircase, twisting and turning.

You may even end up wrapped in heavy chains!

Still, there always seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

There was even light at the top of the tallest tower.

And throughout the building, there were beautiful windows set back in their brick niches.

And the brick, itself, was often quite beautiful with different colors of glazes that helped to create subtle but attractive patterns.

From the looks of things, it also seems to be only the hallways and staircases that are so dark and heavy. The offices all looked quite spacious and bright.

It’s a stylish building, with attractive furnishings throughout, as well as the cheerful orange carpet that suits the walls so well.

It’s an imposing building and certainly isn’t bound to be everyone’s taste, but I couldn’t help falling in love with it a bit. It’s a monstrous beauty.

The full set of photos can be seen in my Inktpot Flickr set.