Through a sensitive reading of the Twentse landscape and the existing museum, SeARCH designed an extension for the Natura Docet in Denekamp, the oldest regional natural history museum in the Netherlands, founded by J.B. Bernink in 1911.
The design of the new museum extension unravels the past decades, removing later additions to restore the museum to its original form. Formally, the roofline, angles, and proportions of the existing are replicated, while a change in material from red brick to dark timber, denotes the shift from old to new. This respects the original design intentions and allows the contours of the original museum to be readable again.
In plan, on diagonally opposite corners, the building is extended to create two new volumes. These volumes house a café, an exhibition space, offices and a cinema room. The relationship between inside and outside, and the view of the garden is further enhanced by transparent glass joints, demarcating the new entrance.
On the grounds of the existing museum a new landscaped garden has been realized. This garden showcases the rich variety of landscapes characteristic of Northeast Twente, an area which has been shaped by centuries-long combination of natural developments and human interventions.
The interweaving of the landscape and the museum is a crucial aspect of this design. Both elements interlock to draw the landscape through the new openings and thus become a part of a new ‘Landscape Center’ and restoring the view through the building.
