Smart Mobility Lab - Hoyerswerda, Germany

STRATUS at the Smart Mobility Lab at TU Dresden

100 × 33 meters, 3,300 square meters of fabric, 1.2 metric tons of fabric —a curtain with a difference. Probably the largest in the world….

With the Smart Mobility Lab at TU Dresden, a research facility for high technologies is being built in the Schwarzkollm industrial park near Hoyerswerda in Lusatia, setting new standards for the mobility of the future.

By the end of 2026, a globally unique infrastructure will be in place here to advance the research and testing of automated and connected road and air traffic in a single, central location. Connected drones, robots, and other automated, remote-controlled, flying, and ground vehicles are set to form swarms and demonstrate how traffic flows can be organized more efficiently and in a way that conserves resources.

The centerpiece is a 40.5-meter-high, column-free test hall with a floor area of 100 x 100 meters, where these concepts can be researched and tested under real-world conditions. To enable a flexible response to the requirements of research operations, we were commissioned to develop a curtain system designed to divide the space as needed.

The dimensions: 100 meters long. 33 meters high. 3,300 square meters of fabric. Approximately 1.2 metric tons of fabric.

Never before has a curtain of this size been built; the height of 33 meters, in particular, places the highest demands on planning, structural engineering, materials, and installation.

Preparations for the project began in early 2026. Under the direction of our senior project manager, Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Främke—arguably the world’s most experienced specialist in curtain systems and theater technology—our STRATUS pleated curtain system was further developed.

Prototypes were first created in our workshops in Umkirch near Freiburg and in our sewing studios in Volgelsheim in the French region of Alsace. These were then tested multiple times under real-world conditions at the Freiburg City Theater. The final curtain consists of four coordinated GerrietsSTRATUS systems.

Our SATIN CS in iron gray was chosen for the fabric. It has a very high absorption coefficient and is, of course, permanently flame-retardant. Thus, the system combines functional requirements with acoustic properties.

Then it was off to the construction site. On-site installation took three weeks. Our installation team set up the STRATUS systems, commissioned the individual components, and repeatedly tested the movement sequences until all of them functioned perfectly.

Our system makes it possible to move the enormous textile surface in a controlled manner, allowing for a flexible response to the demands of research operations.

STRATUS —a curtain like no other. Probably the largest in the world.