Benthem Crouwel Architects

Museum Arnhem

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

Museum Arnhem 

Benthem Crouwel Architects

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Joost Vos, Saartje Van Der Made

SENIOR ARCHITECT
Maurice Korenblik, Willem Jan Van Der Gugten

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Pieters Bouwtechniek Delft

MECHANICAL SERVICES
Nelissen Ingenieursbureau

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Karres + Brands

MANUFACTURERS
Tichelaar Ceramics

3 D VISUALISER
Volker Krenz

BIM ENGINEER
Marcel Wassenaar

PROGRAM / USE / BUILDING FUNCTION
Museum, Renovation & Expansion

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Gemeente Arnhem

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jannes Linders

AREA
6000 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Arnhem, The Netherlands

CATEGORY
Museum, Renovation, Extension

Benthem Crouwel Architects designed the plan for the new Museum Arnhem at a prominent location on a green moraine in the city of Arnhem, The Netherlands.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

The monumental building from 1873 underwent a spectacular renovation: the characteristic historic dome was restored and a unique new extension of more than 1,100 m2 of exhibition space has been created, added to the existing 1,350 m2 in the monument, resulting in a total of 1,935 ‘state-of-the-art’ exhibition spaces.

A special feature is the new wing, which protrudes 15 meters over the moraine, making visitors feel like they are hovering above the trees.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

The municipality of Arnhem wanted to put Museum Arnhem back on the map and give it a new, fresh look without damaging or interfering with the surroundings and with respect for the monument.

Benthem Crouwel Architects’ clear and simple design concept involved restoring Cornelis Outshoorn’s 1873 design in all its former glory.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

The building was transformed into a visible, well-organized, and accessible new museum that connects the city with nature and art.

Due to its unique location, we chose to have the new elongated building volume partially float above the moraine. In this way, the distinctive location of the museum is optimally used and emphasized.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

In order to realize the 15-meter cantilever without damage to its monumental surroundings, a spectacular construction method was used: the rectangular extension was partly built up on-site, after which it was slid over the moraine via a sliding track.

This extension mechanism by means of jacks is a technique known from bridge construction, which had not been used in building construction before.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

After a first extension of 11.4 meters, the second part of the structure was added as a counterweight, after which the whole was moved another 4.8 meters.

In addition to the special floating wing, a wide public staircase was added connecting the new volume with the renewed sculpture garden.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

Another eye-catcher is the façade. The new wing is tiled with 82,000 unique, hand-crafted tiles.

The special color gradient of the tiles on the façade – from earthy tones on the streetside to icy blue on the side facing the river – symbolizes the museum's location on the moraine created by a glacier.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders

Through the combination of the natural colours and shape the building blends in with the surroundings.

Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders


Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders


Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders
Museum Arnhem
© Jannes Linders


Museum Arnhem
Plan - Basement
Museum Arnhem
Plan - Ground Floor
Museum Arnhem
Plan - First floor
Museum Arnhem
Plan - Depot floor
Museum Arnhem
Plan - Situation


Museum Arnhem
Facade North
Museum Arnhem
Facade South
Museum Arnhem
Facade West
Museum Arnhem
Facade East


Museum Arnhem
Cross Section
Museum Arnhem
Longitudinal Section

Benthem Crouwel Architects
T +31 20 6420105
Benthem Crouwel Architects
Verrijn Stuartweg 14, 1112 AX Diemen, Netherlands