After an eight-month renovation, the Biesbosch Museum reopened to the public this summer. The museum has been completely transformed and extended with a new wing that opens to its beautiful surroundings and houses a restaurant and temporary exhibition space for contemporary art.
Reason for redevelopment
Water safety was the key reason for the development of the Biesbosch Museum Island. As part of a national water safety programme, the 4450-hectare Noordwaard polder has been turned into a water-retention area.
Outlets on either side of the Biesbosch Museum were dug to create a new island. For most visitors, the Biesbosch Museum is the starting point for exploring the Biesbosch National Park.
Museum Building
To avoid any unnecessary waste of material or energy, the hexa-gonal structure of the original Biesbosch Museum pavilions has been retained, and a new 1000 m2 wing was added on the south-western side of the building. Featuring extensive areas of fenestration, the wing opens to the museum garden on the island.
The extension houses an organic restaurant that offers views of the adjacent water and landscape, and space for temporary exhibitions. The existing building houses the permanent exhibition, library, multipurpose theatre, entrance area with reception and museum shop. Visitors can obtain tourist information about the Biesbosch National Park and buy tickets for the museum and electric boats.
The addition of large dormers on the roof created space for the museum’s offices, the Dutch Forestry Commission and the Park Board. The old and new sections of the museum are surrounded by earthworks and covered with a roof of grass and herbs.
The roof adds ecological value, creating a sculptural object that reads as land art and, at the same time, manifests itself in the surrounding landscape. A fold in the roof gives way to an adventurous mountain trail and a lookout post.
Energy
Both the new wing and existing volume are designed to minimize energy consumption. The glass front is itted with state-of-the-art heat-resistant glass that eliminates the need for blinds. The earthworks on the north-western side and the green roof serve as additional insulation and a heat bufer.
On cold days, a biomass stove maintains the building at the right temperature through loor heating. On warm days, water from the river lows through the same piping to cool the building.
The Biesbosch has a rich history in harvesting and processing natural materials and is bio-based avant la lettre. The museum therefore provides space for art, preferably made of natural materials from the Biesbosch itself, in the new wing and on the island.
Location: Werkendam, Netherlands
Architect: Studio Marco Vermeulen
Project Team: Marco Vermeulen, Joost van der Waal, Andrés Cubillo Ramiro, Bram Willemse, Piotr Szczesniak, Emma Westerduin
Design exhibition: Studio Joyce Langezaal
Client: Biesbosch Museum
Area: 2336 m2
Year: 2015
Photographs: Ronald Tilleman, Courtesy of Studio Marco Vermeulen
