New Maritime Museum , Antwerpen/ Belgien

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The team led by Atelier Kempe Thill has recently won the international competition for the new Maritime Museum in Antwerp, Belgium. The museum will be located at the impressive historic dry docks (Droogdokkensite), forming an important part of the on-going redevelopment of the northern edge of the city centre. The museum will be dedicated to the maritime heritage that has always played an important role in the history of the city. In addition to classical museum spaces, the new institute will offer several large workshops to restore historic boats, offices for the harbour authority, various event facilities as well as a big outdoor exhibition area. 

The existing historic buildings were the starting point of the design. A strategically placed new building carefully connects the disparate historic elements while respecting the existing spatial hierarchy of the site. The result is a new architectural ensemble with a surprising sequence of characteristic spaces. All of which are assigned a clear role within the museum concept.

The former AWN-workshop building will be transformed into the entrance pavilion, clearly facing the city centre. It will also host the permanent and temporary collection of ships and is well equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of public events. The restored figure of monumental pump- and boiler house will contain a didactic exhibition dedicated to the history of the dry docks. The centrepiece of the museum, both spatially and culturally, will be the ship “Doelse Kogge” – a nearly 700 year-old historic cog of the Hanseatic League – which will be restored and presented in an impressive wooden exhibition hall in the middle of the museum.

The opening of the museum is scheduled for 2024.