The Biesbosch Museum, located near the city of Dordrecht in the Netherlands, recently went through a massive redesign and has now been opened to the public. The 8-month-long transformation includes the addition of an organic restaurant, an outdoor seating area, a new wing extension, and a rooftop that covers the entire building with grass, herbs and other flora. A rooftop walkway winds through the new grassy knolls and ends in a lookout that allows visitors to admire the surrounding parkland. In the cooler months, a biomass stove maintains the building's ambient temperature, while an indoor water feature works to cool the museum in the warmer months.
The Biesbosch Museum was established after flooding swept through the area in 1421, and has since been recognized as a cultural hub for artists and photographers to gather inspiration. The transformation is managed by Studio Marco Vermeulen and is set to be fully completed in Summer 2016, with the land around the existing museum building to be removed, converting the original site into a man-made island. The project was initiated in response to water-related safety concerns for the area, and the new additions add both safety and ecological value. The new museum now serves as an almost sculptural piece of land art, with a sustainable, holistic design and additions that aid in minimizing energy consumption.
Biesbosch Museum: Website | Facebook
via [Contemporist]
All photos via Ronald Tilleman.
