Craft

A beautiful renovation by Atelier Kempe Thill, transforming an old reformatory for the “disorderly underclass” into a craft museum in Veenhuizen.

Essentially once a prison colony cut off from the the outside world, the large master-plan was recently given national monument status. The cluster of buildings that housed craft areas for prisoners was transformed into a museum with contemporary craft studios, exhibits, and building supply markets. Kempe Thill began by demolishing any structures that were built after the initial conception of the complex (sheds, barns, additions, etc), bringing it back to its original state.

Holes left in the facades after demolition were used as a starting point for the new design, and were boxed in with large panels of mirrored glass and entry doors that overlap the original facade, adding a new “historic layer” to the existing buildings.

The gesture coherently ties together the various of buildings by creating a common language. Their large size and dark glass emphasize the monumentality of the complex, while its mirrored finish reflects surrounding buildings, reminding visitors of the scale of the colony and providing a visual connection to the complex masterplan.

The interiors were completely cleared of any existing load-bearing walls or partitions so that the scale of each space was clearly visible.

Most rooms were white-washed, giving the spaces a monolithic feel while preserving existing details. As per the architects:

“The entire project is designed according to the strategy of the ‘arranged history’. The historical building complex is not simply shown, but in itself tells a story about history with the elements of architecture. All used means: the cleansing, the new layer and the classicistic interior stem from the conviction that not historical breaks but continuity is important. As if the architect of the original crafts cluster hundred years after completion received the commission to remodel his own project.”