Museum De Lakenhal is renewing!

28 November 2014

The municipality of Leiden and Museum De Lakenhal are proud to present the Final Design for the restoration and expansion of Museum de Lakenhal. The design for the restoration has been provided by Julian Harrap Architects, of London, while the new structures have been designed by the young but talented Dutch agency Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven. The expansion and restoration of the museum are set to take place over the period 2015-2017.

Final Design

Within just one year, the architects developed a definitive design that is both cost-conscious and of a very high quality. The four separate museum structures will be naturally connected through a central courtyard, which will be realized by reopening the historic Laecken-Halle’s own ‘back court’. This ‘back court’ is directly linked to the museum’s historical entrance. The new structures, meanwhile, will add two additional exhibition halls that will feature a natural skylight and a view of the city. Museum Director Metal Knol: ‘With this design, Museum De Lakenhal can look to the future. By intelligently bringing the past and the present together as one, the design perfectly captures the museum’s modern and daring nature.’

Past and Present

Housed in the city’s 17th century Cloth Hall, Museum De Lakenhal has been enlarged twice before: in 1890 and 1921. The new structures that will be raised during this expansion will add a new and contemporary layer to the museum’s already diverse palette of structures from different periods in history. The design’s new exhibition wing will feature a modern interpretation of the museum’s current brick architecture, and has been inspired by the monumental surroundings of the museum. Built on the Lammermarkt, this new addition to Museum De Lakenhal will create a versatile museum complex that will act as the beacon of Leiden’s Cultural District.

Noble Simplicity

The Laecken-Halle, a national monument, was designed in 1640 by the architect Arent van ’s-Gravesande and served as the inspection hall for the famous Leiden Cloth until 1874, when it was transformed into a museum. The richly-decorated façade of this classical city palace has been preserved in its original state throughout the structure’s existence. Despite its artistic exterior, the hall’s interior has always been a functioning and busy location, where prominent merchants and the weavers of the famous cloth met. As a testimony to the hall’s artisan identity and entrepreneurial function, the architects have continued to keep the design principle of ‘noble simplicity’ in mind while developing their designs for restoration and expansion.

Tracing the centuries

The Hall’s 17th century interior has been subjected to numerous alterations and building projects throughout its existence. Traces of all those different periods and alterations can still be found in the museum’s structure, giving it an unique patina. Keeping the structure’s past in mind, the restoration will create a balance between all these different layers of history. Julian Harrap Archtects has previously and successfully implemented this same approach when restoring the Neues Museum in Berlin. Architect Robert Sandford: ‘The project for the Lakenhal seeks to give an understanding and clarity to the original building and subsequent layers of history from 17th century Cloth Hall to 21st century museum.’

Architecture of a single piece

Just like the Laecken-Halle, the new structure designed by Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven will seamlessly and intelligently fit into the city’s urban environment. The high structure will feature low flanks that physically touch the neighbouring homes. Its narrowing upward movement gives the structure an unusual and daring appearance: of a slender building that is firmly rooted into the ground. The structure’s plinth will feature monumental, arching doors that lead to the museum’s headquarters. A large, arching window will openly and visibly present the new exhibition hall to the city. For the structure’s materials, the designers will rely on the museum’s existing style. Architect Ninke Happel: ‘The new building will be constructed using warm, grey bricks; the same materials used to construct the current buildings, but only in a different colour. By mixing three different types of clay and employing an innovative double-baking process, we will create a nuanced palette of grey colours reminiscent of the skies you can find in 17th century paintings of Dutch masters, like those by Jan van Goyen from Leiden’.

Expenses and benefactors

At the beginning of 2014, Leiden’s city council approved the executive plans to restore and expand the museum. The current design perfectly fits into the original financial plans, for which the municipality of Leiden has provided 16,6 million euros. Museum De Lakenhal has worked to gather the rest of the necessary funds itself. Its very successful fundraising campaign has managed to raise 2,5 million euros, including an impulse donation of 1 million euros by the BankGiro Loterij, a contribution of €790.000 by the Province of South Holland and a number of contributions made by the successful Lucas van Leyden Patrons. Other contributions have been made by the recently launched American Friends of Museum De Lakenhal, private and governmental funds in the Netherlands, sponsors and other donators. The total, final investment budget will depend on the success of the fundraising campaign, and the phased implementation of the renewal programme will therefore carefully prioritise its expenses.

Leiden, City of Culture

The restoration and expansion of Museum De Lakenhal are a part of the city’s development of a Cultural District, which also includes the brand-new music venue Bros. De Nobel, the construction of a new underground parking garage on the Lammermarkt and a redesign of Leiden’s Singel Park. City Councillor Robert Strijk: “The presentation of the Final Design is one of those moments of pure and collective pride; pride induced by our own history and by the beauty of our city. The Lakenhal is a museum filled with that history, and therefore plays a crucial role in the city’s identity. And today we can also glimpse at our city’s future, because this design creates a literal and figurative opportunity for growth, and I’m certain it will encourage more people to visit our city and admire our knowledge, our culture and our Lakenhal.”

Note to the editor

Museum De Lakenhal is a museum of the arts, of artistry and of the history of Leiden. Among the highlights of our collection you can find works by many old masters, including Lucas van Leyden, Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan Steen, but also pieces by modern artists like Theo van Doesburg, Jan Wolkers and Erwin Olaf. Museum De Lakenhal develops high-quality exhibits of (inter)national importance using Leiden as its source. The museum sees itself a renewing network museum that ties the past and present together and seeks to inspire its visitors using old and new interpretations.