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Museumplein Limburg

Shift architecture urbanism’s design for Museumplein Limburg, just completed in Kerkrade – a town at the Dutch-German border –, is an urban ensemble defined by clearly recognizable volumes, all connected by an elaborate underground public space.

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Museumplein Limburg creates a trinity of complimentary museums: Continium, Cube and Columbus, combining technology, science and design in one museum district.

Together these elements become a “museum without boundaries”, where visitors are regarded as participants rather than spectators. They discover the world and their place in it through interaction, participation and debate. Hence, in addition to museum galleries, Museumplein Limburg also offers shared facilities for conferences, events, workshops and education.

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit — Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Top: photo © Henny van Belkom. Above: photo © René de Wit

Above ground, the complex appears as a composition of primary solids: a cube, a sphere and a beam. Their pure geometry and omnidirectional orientation counteracts the amorphous and introvert character of the existing museum. Each building has a custom-made facade that emphasises its pure form and free-standing character. The new industrial materials connect to the original building, a former industry museum.

A large part of the new program is located underground. By extending the sunken square (the best feature of the original museum) underneath the new volumes, a continuous underground landscape is created that connects all the facilities of Museumplein Limburg, both old and new. In addition to the new museum square, this excavated landscape in red concrete hosts a central entrance hall, a restaurant, an enclosed patio and two tunnels connecting to Cube and Columbus.

The public walkways crossing through Museumplein Limburg firmly embed the museum district into the public space of Kerkrade. On the walkway to and from the train station, designed as a scaled up zebra crossing, pedestrians can see lively areas of Museumplein Limburg such as the entrance hall, the sunken square and the temporary exhibition hall underneath Cube. The visual dialogue between museum and station area adds to the experience of both the museum visitor and the train passenger.

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © Henny van Belkom

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © Henny van Belkom

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © Henny van Belkom

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Photo © René de Wit

P90_or

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Siteplan

P-01

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Basement floor plan

P00_or

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Ground floor plan

P01

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. First floor plan

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Section through Cube design museum and Columbus Earth theater

F01_or

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Section

isometry from under_or

Shift architecture urbanism, Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Worm eye's view

Museumplein Limburg Kerkrade, The Netherlands
Program: museum complex
Architects: Shift Architecture Urbanism
Project architects: Thijs van Bijsterveldt, Oana Rades, Harm Timmermans
Team: Pieter Heymans, Rene Sangers, Davide Prioli, Thomas Grievink, Dalia Zakaite, Irgen Salianji, Mariya Gyaurova
Client: Discovery Center Continium
Structural engineer design phase: ABT
Advisor building code and fire safety: Bureau Bouwkunde
Advisor Installations: Bremen Bouwadvies
Construction management: Bremen Bouwadvies
Contractor: Mertens Bouwbedrijf
Contractor installations: Spie
Execution construction: Van de Laar
Area: 7,500 sqm
Completion: December 2015