MuseumHotel EscherBreuer
When it was announced that the Breuer-designed American embassy building in The Hague would be becoming vacant, there was much debate over its future use, raising the question whether it should be preserved or demolished. One of the advocates of reuse of the building in an adapted form is Benno Tempel, director of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.
Tempel came up with a proposal to house their collection of the famous artist M. C. Escher. The local government holds a corresponding view, though they also announced a desire to investigate the possibility of conversion of the building into a hotel.
Master Interior Architecture x Gemeentemuseum (2016-17)
KABK Master Interior Architecture students participating in the Studio MuseumHotel EscherBreuer project researched the controversy and created a research-driven design proposal which explored the points of connection and contradiction between the two functions of hotel versus museum and between the two artists Escher versus Breuer.
How can, with respect to its enigmatic cha-racter and in keeping with Breuer’s legacy, the future MuseumHotel EscherBreuer become part of the civic and cultural life of The Hague and be finally treasured by the public? The first year students worked in pairs of 6 teams (2 students designed an individual plan) on a design for the reuse of the building on two levels, a masterplan and an architectural proposal, in which mu
The following themes were investigated by the students: the museum concept, the hotel concept, the museum – and hotel concept intertwined in a 24 hours experience, the architectural and diplomatic legacy of Marcel Breuer, the monographic collection about Escher, the museum extension: an intense art experience, and the public – private: exposure to the city.
First year Studio MuseumHotel EscherBreuer is a design and theoretical research studio that ran for 8 weeks guided by Mark Veldman (OMA) and Anne Hoogewoning (theory tutor).
The studio started in November 2016, the final presentation took place in February 2017.
In collaboration with Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (Benno Tempel). With lectures and talks by Wijnand Galema, Suzanne Oxenaar and Frans Bevers.