ARCH 382

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPTS OF ART

AND DESIGN Spring 2022
PROJECT 1:

REINTERPRETING ARCHITECTURAL WORKS THROUGH CONCEPTS

Maritime and Beachcombers Museum / Mecanoo

Ceren Cingöz_Ecem Ilgın

ABOUT MECANOO
Mecanoo is an architecture firm based in Delft, Netherlands. Mecanoo was
founded in 1984 by Francine Houben, Henk Döll, Roelf Steenhuis, Erick van
Egeraat and Chris de Weijer.

Design Philosophy
Mecanoo has extensive experience designing and realising exceptional buildings which serve client ambitions while
creating vibrant end-user spaces.
According to the practice each project responds to the philosophy of People, Place and Purpose: to the client’s
requirements and the user’s needs (People); the physical context, climate and culture (Place); and the current and
predicted potential of a building’s function (Purpose).
Sustainability is an inherent aspect of their design approach, feeding into an ambition to create new identity in a world of
globalization, resulting in inspiring and authentic places, socially relevant for people and communities.

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PROJECT INFORMATION
Location: Texel Island, Netherlands

Year: 2011

Architect: Mecanoo Architecten

Cost: €6.000.000

Building Use: Museum

Height: 12.3m

Building Area: 400m2

Total Area: 1200m2

Number of Storeys Above Grade: 2

Number of Storeys Below Grade: 1

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CONTEXT
Kaap Skil is a museum that focuses on context and defines spaces through the use of light (Galindo,2012). Located in the
small harbour town of Oudeschild on Texel Island, the largest of the Wadden Islands,Kaap Skil references the ancient Dutch
tradition of reusing driftwood by using strips of driftwoods found in the North Holland Canal to compose the façade of the
museum (Sypkens,2012). The museum’s relatively small size and massing echoes the local architecture and gives the
sense that the building exists in harmony with the existing city. By designing the ground floor as an extension of the city
street, Kaap Skil has becomes a place that is culturally significant with a human touch (Valle,2007). The transparent façade
envelops the inner shell built of two solid walls on the East and West and two glass walls on the North and South
(Lomholt,2012)

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CONTEXTUAL RELATIONSHIP
The Kaap Skil is a contextually responsive building that articulates itself as complex parts that came together to create
an iconic and recognizable image (Mecanoo,2011). Four linked gabled roofs echoe the rhythm of the surrounding
rooftops. From sea these look like waves rising out of a canal. The scale and relatively small size of Kaap skill allows the
building to exist in harmony within the fabric of the city but still be recognized from the rest. The building façade that
protects the interior shell from the stormy climate is made of driftwood that is found in the nearby North Holland Canal,
this relates to the age-old Dutch tradition of using driftwood to create their houses and addresses the global concern of
environmental consciousness by recycling material (Mecanoo,2011). The massing of the building along with its wooden
façadenmakes the building look like a reincarnation of the traditional Dutch house. The museum sits on the Southside of
Oudeschild’s main road. There is a canal to the South of Kaap Skil and a port to the East.

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PROGRAM, CIRCULATION AND STRUCTURAL DIAGRAM

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The building's form takes concepts from surrounding
architecture as well as the water and the waves. The
showpiece of the museum is an eighteen-metre long,
four-metre deep model of the Reede van Texel,
displaying in great detail the impressive spectacle of
the dozens of ships anchored off the coast of the
Wadden Island.

The museum is designed with four playfully

linked gabled roofs which are a play on the
rhythm of the surrounding roof tops.It is designed
with four playfully linked gabled roofs which are a
play on the rhythm of the surrounding roof tops
which, seen from the sea, resemble waves rising
out above the dyke.

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ATMOSPHERE
Material Compatibility

Considering that our building is a body with anatomy, what we cover

it with is one of the most important decisions in the endless pool of
possibilities in the design to be made. The choice of materials is
perhaps one of the basic elements that directly reveals the
atmosphere of the building. When we look at the Maritime and
Beachcombers museum, we see that the people of Texel, who have
adopted the principle of "sea takes the sea, provides" in the selection
of materials, have adopted the recycling approach.

The facade, which was formed by the planar succession of hard

wooden boards coming from the North Holland Channel, shows us
with all its dynamism how striking the repetition of the same material
can be by combining with the form.

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The Temperature of Space

The temperature of the building is one of the important criteria that

defines the atmosphere of the environment. Design is a whole and
what we see and what we feel must be in harmony. Inspired by the
harsh and cold waves of the North Sea, we feel the air outside the
building inside, with the hard wooden boards used in this building
and the glass facade hidden behind the boards.

In the words of the architect, “Sun, clouds, thunder and rain:

outdoors comes inside as perception and emotion and this is a core
quality for a building with the Wadden Sea at your doorstep.”

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Architectural Form

According to Peter Zumthor, if even a single

piece of design changes its place, if the whole is
destroyed, then the form is complete. That is,
every part of the building must serve each other.
When we take a look at the Maritime and
Beachcombers museum from the outside, we can
easily see that everything forms a whole.

The design, which consists of four gable roofs, not only imitates the rhythm of the
surrounding buildings, but also reminds us of the harsh waves of the north sea. The
building, which looks so unusual in harmony with its surroundings, proves to us that
the form is made without forgetting the function of the building with the spaces it
creates in the interior.

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The Sound of Space

We feel an architectural element with our every sense. And in good design
different senses must perceive the same understanding.
With the reflective elements such as glass and metal used in the exhibition
areas inside, it is aimed to provide an experience as if you are in a space by
giving the feeling of being suspended in the air as much as possible both
visually and as a sound.

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Surround Objects
Evaluating a building on its own is not a logical consideration. The
relationship of the building with its surroundings is a factor that we
cannot ignore when examining it. Other objects or buildings around
the area to be created can also be inspiring when starting the design.
It is much more enjoyable for the eye to provide unity with the
surroundings.

The same goes for this building. Inspired by the surrounding roofs
and never smiling next to them, its design makes it feel like it has
been there from the very beginning and never creates an
uncomfortable image and does not spoil my integrity. The museum,
which is made of recycled wood materials like the other houses
around, serves not only itself but the whole street.

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Between Composure and Seduction

The setup of a building belongs entirely to its

architect. In this direction, what kind of circulation
will be provided inside is the architect's design.
Free movement to explore the space is much more
functional, especially in areas such as museums,
rather than the established ways.

This understanding has also been adopted in The

Maritime and Beachcombers museum, and an
unlimited circulation is preferred as much as
possible in order to offer a pleasant experience to
its visitors. With the circulation created, it is aimed
for the visitors to reach and explore easily
everywhere.
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Tension Between Interior and Exterior
Three huge door openings, which are the
only ones in the museum, the exterior of
which is completely covered with wooden
panels, surprises us by suddenly
interrupting the continuity on the surface.
Contrasting large rectangular doors just
below the funky triangular roof create
tension with this sharp transition.

When you go inside, the

generously-covering windows maintain the
feeling of being outside as well, creating
tension between the inside and the outside.

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Levels of Intimacy
Mass, size and space… factors that determine how it
feels to be next to or inside a building. The thickness of a
wall, the length of the door or the space around you,
these are all factors that directly affect the atmosphere
and accordingly your mood.

Space makes sense in The Maritime and Beachcombers

building. The almost completely empty exhibition halls,
which are left as wide as they should be, combine with
other elements such as light, sound and color, making the
visitors feel good. The large, glass-enclosed facades that
open wide are accompanied by completely white walls
and the floor. While the person inside makes you feel
small, the light plays that form softly make you feel
enchanted.
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The Light on Things

The Maritime and Beachcombers museum, the winner of the

daylight award given by the Living daylights fondation, combines
daylight and artificial light design in a harmonic way, making light
a fundamental element of design.

As a result of the transparency of the building, the outdoor

perception is completely filled inside, while the wooden panels
that surround the building behind the giant windows create
unexpected light plays during the day and fascinate the visitors.

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Color

The dominant use of white color and wide

openings become a match, emphasizing a
spacious and peaceful place, while drawing
attention completely to the exhibited objects.

The huge white space that welcomes us as

soon as we enter after the wooden boards
covering the exterior of the building creates a
contrast between the inside and the outside,
almost underlining that the visitors are
inside.

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On the completely dark ground floor, which contrasts with the
white color, the LEDs of different colors provide the separation
of the areas in the open plan section and guide the visitors
intuitively.

Wooden boards preferred in some areas are provided to create

a warm feeling for the visitors inside with the light entering and
the shadows it creates.

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SOURCES
— https://www.archdaily.com/221129/maritime-and-beachcombers-museum-mecanoo

—https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/51/Kaap-Skil-Maritime-and-Beachcombers-Museum

—https://www.dezeen.com/2013/09/18/kaap-skil-maritime-and-beachcombers-museum-by-mecanoo/

— https://issuu.com/mhankus/docs/kaap_skil_analysis

— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecanoo