They are working together as one
structure.
Glass façade, roof and staircase The
bent glass façade is composed of
cold bent double laminated insulated
glass units. This means the rectangular
glass panels have been shaped on-site
during installation. The total area is
approximately 650 sqm. The façade has
20 glass fins which are all unique. The
longest façade fin is 9,4 meters.
The glass roof with a total area of
approximately 600 sqm has as main
geometry a shell under an angle of 16,5
degrees. There are 30 glass roof fins, all
unique in length and with an optimized
height to accentuate the shape of the
curved roof. The longest glass fin in the
roof (also the longest structural glass fin
in the Netherlands) has a length of 12
meters. The glass staircase is supported
by a triple laminated glass arch which
transfers the highest loads from the stairs
and also stabilizes the staircase. Because
of this glass arch, the amount of steel
is kept to a minimum and the staircase
can be seen as a transparent piece of
furniture.
LED lighting has been integrated inside
the glass stair steps. “We ensured that
the new entrance hall has become light
and spacious with lots of glass. We want
to capture the sunny atmosphere, which
you see reflected in many paintings
of Van Gogh. We developed a unique
support structure for the glass roof,
which you hardly notice. As you enter,
you will wonder: How is that entire glass
building supported? And what you
experience is light, space, and overview.
Clarity is extremely important, maybe
the most important; you have to realize
that a museum is a public building where
every day thousands of visitors, many
foreigners also, often come for the first
time. You need to provide clarity. The
visitors don’t want to miss anything; they
need to understand immediately which
way to go, how big the museum is and
how long they will need to see it. When
they feel at home and at ease they will
stay longer and love to come back.”
Architects: Hans van Heeswijk Architects
www.heeswijk.nl
Photographs: Ronald Tilleman, Luuk Kramer
Page 43 - Archetech