STEDELIJK MUSEUM OF MODERN ART THE ‘BATHTUB’ EXTENSION


PROJECT: Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art CLIENT: City of Amsterdam LOCATION: Amsterdam, Holland PROJECT ARCHITECT: Benthem Crouwel Architekten COMPLETION DATE: September 2012 GROSS AREA: 12000sqm COST: Undisclosed


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Amsterdam’s famous Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art originally opened its doors in 1895 to exhibit the new, ‘modern’ art that was creating a furor throughout Europe. A century later, the City Council decided that the old building itself was in need of modernisation. Now, not only has the 19th-century building been restored to its former glory, but alongside it, a new entrance and exhibition space has been created. In 2004, five Dutch architectural firms were invited by the City of Amsterdam to submit their proposals for the renovation and extension of the Stedelijk Museum. The winners were Amsterdam-based firm Benthem Crouwel (BCA), whose striking design stood out both visually and for its technical ambition.


The original building was designed in the highly decorative Neo- Renaissance style that was so popular at the time. The City of Amsterdam wanted to restore this old building to its former glory, while building a new extension and entrance right alongside it. Of course, the architects wanted to deal respectfully with the old building. But, that didn’t mean trying to blend in with it, or attempting to imitate it – for Benthem Crouwel, the only way to treat the old building with respect was to make a complete contrast with it. Whereas the old building has straight lines and corners, Benthem Crouwel decided that the new one should have smooth, curved lines. And as the old is highly ornamented, the new should be simple. In addition, the rough brickwork of the old building would contrast with the extension’s perfectly smooth surfaces. The two buildings would, however, be linked together by the use of the colour white, which had long been used inside the exhibition rooms of the old building. Combining these elements, Benthem Crouwel designed a large white ‘bathtub’ structure, that appears to float freely in the air alongside the old building, above a spacious new entrance hall. It houses various exhibition spaces, lecture rooms and other spaces, and additional exhibition areas have been created underground. An important part of the architects’ vision was that the surface of the bathtub – the façade – should be seamless. However, the only way to construct such a large surface is to construct it out of a number of smaller panels. And panels made from conventional construction materials need a little space – in the form of dilation seams – to expand and contract as the temperature rises or falls. But, of course, those dilation seams (which, depending on the material, might be anything up to 20mm wide) would totally spoil the flawless look the architects were aiming for. To solve this, the architects needed to find a material with absolutely minimal thermal expansion.


TURNING VISION INTO REALITY


The architects were referred to the Dutch engineering firm, Solico, which has extensive experience in designing lightweight and strong products for the construction and defense industries. What’s more, Solico also has expert knowledge and insight into the behavioral properties of many different materials, such as aluminium, glass and composites. Solico was first asked to carry out a feasibility study to see whether there were any materials that would make it possible to create the super-flat, super-smooth finish the architects wanted. As well as minimal thermal expansion, Solico also needed to test for rigidity – or, to put it the other way round, for the potential of the material to buckle or warp, particularly in windy weather. On such a large, high-gloss surface, any distortion would be immediately visible – ruining the overall effect. Plus, the façade needed to withstand the potentially large differences in temperature between the inside and the outside of the bathtub. The architects had supplied Solico with a 3D digital model of the outermost surface of the façade. Isolating certain sections, Solico added in the dimensions and properties of the different elements and materials, and included static sections to indicate where the façade


28 | Architects Choice | ArchitectNews.co.uk


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