Museum Paleis Het Bathroom / KAAN Architecten

Textual content description offered by the architects. After profitable the fee by a public competitors in 2016, KAAN Architecten undertook the renovation and extension of Museum Paleis Het Bathroom, taking cues from the format and proportions of the baroque palace and its historic environment. The formidable challenge concerned the addition of over 5000 sq. meters of recent amenities and areas, a cautious restoration of the palace, and a meticulous asbestos elimination course of. The newly reworked Paleis Het Bathroom now radiates the grandeur that befits one of many Netherlands’ most famous and frequented museums.

Paleis Het Bathroom was initially constructed in 1686 as a royal searching palace for King William III and Queen Mary on the outskirts of Apeldoorn. The property’s ample forest grounds and obligatory underground water strain created ultimate situations for a baroque composition of lush gardens punctuated with quite a few water options and a monumental palace at its base. KAAN Architecten’s intervention attracts from this inextricable connection between structure and the panorama. The complete extension is positioned underground, and the brand new water function is built-in as a part of the structure, persevering with the custom of the general composition with out disrupting the historic picture.

Nestled between the palace wings lies the Bassecour, previously a courtyard with grass parterres and a water trough for horses. As we speak, it has been reworked into a shocking house with a central fountain and 4 glass surfaces, every adorned with pure stone and a skinny layer of working water, paying homage to the waterworks within the historic gardens. The Bassecour has developed past simply the palace forecourt, now serving because the roof of the brand new extension. The four-centimeter-deep ponds mirror the monumental palace whereas daylight permeates the water, casting an excellent impact beneath.

Moderately than making a distinguished entrance that might encroach on the open Bassecour, the entry factors have been positioned on the ends of the palace wings. Traces of the previous stay seen within the refined marble inlays on the partitions the place the previous construction was hollowed out to create the lantern-like entry pavilions. Guests are guided right down to the light-filled balcony, which hosts all obligatory customer amenities and leads into the Lobby.

The Grand Lobby is the central hub of the underground extension. Stretching alongside the central axis, it forges a twofold reference to the historic constructing. Bodily, the previous and new sections of the palace share a typical basis by a vaulted stairway. Visually, one can behold the palace by gazing upward by the glass roof of the Bassecour ponds. Within the coronary heart of the Lobby, instantly beneath the fountain, a big wind rose within the ground indicating the middle of the extension and alluring guests to decide on a course – proceed to the Corps de Logis, enter the exhibition halls, head in direction of the east wing, or return to the doorway balcony?

The underground extension retains the symmetrical logic of the baroque composition and the palace’s Corps de Logis as the essential ground plan. Within the authentic format, the vestibule boasts a central staircase and adjoining rooms designated for an viewers with the king. This precept is maintained within the extension, the place the Grand Lobby, flanked by exhibition halls, connects with the stairway to the palace. To the west of the Grand Lobby, spacious sq. halls with virtually 5-meter-high ceilings host momentary exhibitions. Above them, a museum within the historic west wing has been developed particularly for kids referred to as the Junior Palace. In the meantime, the east wing is accessible by the magnificent staircase corridor and highlights the historical past and present-day actions of the Dutch royal household in a everlasting exhibition Home of Orange.

As a part of the intervention, the historic constructing was fastidiously restored to enhance the know-how and local weather management techniques and supply higher facilities for guests. A brand new staircase was added resulting in the roof of the Corps de Logis and providing unprecedented views of the grounds. Moreover, the palace wings underwent vital renovations to accommodate new exhibition areas, whereas the previous ballroom adjoining to the west wing was reworked right into a restaurant.

Though its architectural expression is restrained and chic, the brand new constructing befits the grandeur and creativeness related to the time period palace. “It’s not solely what you see but additionally what you are feeling that provides to the standard of structure. It’s the texture of supplies, the craftsmanship with which the small print are made,” explains Prof. Dikkie Scipio, the architect, and co-founder of KAAN Architecten, about drawing inspiration from the baroque palace.

Particular focus was placed on the end of the steps, flooring, and partitions, which mix in sample and materials. Refined textures are layered by alternating sandblasted, honed, and polished marble, playfully delivered to life by the reflection of pure mild by the pond. Set in opposition to the white of the veined marble is the heat of the walnut utilized on the doorways, wherever one makes the transition to a brand new spatial expertise. The wooden sample represents a single orange blossom leaf, or flowers and butterflies when multiplied, in reference to the gardens and their symmetrical graphic. This sample may also be discovered on the door handles, in numerous items of furnishings, and within the wall tapestries of the restaurant. These opulent materials are interwoven with metallic threads, including a shimmer to the partitions as a nod to the ornate halls of the Corps de Logis.