Thursday, April 29, 2010 marks the festive start of construction for the new entrance building of the Maritiem & Jutters Museum in Oudeschild, Texel. Ms. N. Eelman, one of the initiators of the project and former alderman of the municipality of Texel, gave the go-ahead to start the project designed by Mecanoo. The museum receives over 70,000 visitors annually, and by extending the museum, expects to attract even more visitors. The entrance building and the exhibition spaces shall be in use by 2011.

Mecanoo’s distinctive design stays close in form and scale with the existing buildings. The striking building will put the museum on the national and cultural map. Wooden vertical slats with intervals of space to allow in daylight were chosen for the cladding. The bars are a reference to the rhythm of the masts in the harbour of Oudeschild. The timber cladding is derived from wooden pilings used in the North Holland Canal. The use of recycled wood / material on the façade of the museum illustrates the sustainability of the museum along with all of the less visible energy saving measures.
On the museum grounds is a test area where visitors may observe how old wood behaves after it is cut and influenced by the sun, rain and wind and how its appearance and perhaps shape are changed.
The museum entrance is located on the ground floor, and a main route through the museum connects the front of the building (Heemskerckstraat) with the museum grounds in the rear. The museum cafe is located next to the entrance and offers views of activities taking place in the museum. The archive where the model is exhibited is in the basement. The ground and first floors are reachable by stairs or lift. Characteristic of this open exhibition space is the ceiling with five linked gabled roofs. Here you can experience what you only seen on the facade.

Programme: 1,200 m² museum with exhibition spaces, a café and offices
Design: 2007-2009
Realisation: 2010-2011
Client: Maritime & Jutters Museum, Oudeschild
Structural engineer: Pieters Bouwtechniek, Amsterdam
Glass facade consultant: 360 Glas b.v., Tilburg

For more information, please contact Machteld Schoep at Mecanoo, 015-2798100, pr@mecanoo.nl