17-01-2015

Dutch Design Daily

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Hans van Heeswijk architecten www.heeswijk.nl

Mauritshuis extension

By 17-01-2015

After the renovation and extension, the surface of the Mauritshuis in The Hague has doubled, although there is no sign of it above ground.

This intervention is the solution for the logistical problems of the Mauritshuis, ‘the jewel box among the museums’. What’s more, it has created a bright and inviting space. Visitors enter the underground entrance hall via a mezzanine with a wide staircase or a unique, all-glass elevator. Here, light enters from all sides. From the atrium, one can visit the permanent collection in the historic building or the new extension, which is situated on the other side of the street under the Plein.

With a height of five meters, the foyer is a peaceful transition between Classicism (the old Mauritshuis) and Art Deco (the society on the Plein).

With the underground entrance hall, Hans van Heeswijk Architects has chosen for a tried and tested formula, which was successfully applied for the first time at the Louvre in Paris (glass pyramid). In the Netherlands, the same solution was also applied in the designs for the Hermitage (also Van Heeswijk) and the Rijksmuseum.

www.mauritshuis.nl