ARCHELLO YOUR CONNECTION WITH ARCHITECTURE

Our museum extension design replaces a part of the existing building from the eighties and exploits the central, currently unused museum courtyard. It connects the different activities and transfers the sum of the existing fragments into one building. A strategically placed volume, containing the museum shop and kitchen, divides the building extension into two areas: a new spacious foyer with catering possibilities and an additional exhibition room for temporary exhibitions.

The two new areas possess varying qualities with regard to incoming daylight. The foyer and café adjoin the terrace and garden with an extensive facade glazing. The exhibition room is enclosed by the monumental nineteenth century buildings along the Biltstraat and the Kruisstraat; here an impressive opaque glass roof generates ideal exhibition light.

The museum extension is characterized by a reduced materiality in front of which will appear the works of art. The white plastered walls create serenity and the luxurious oak flooring generate warmth and intimacy. On the white surfaces a continuous change of light will evolve by the incoming daylight in the course of the day.

The Museum of Moluccan Art (MUMA) in Utrecht collects and exhibits the cultural heritage of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands. Next to the exhibition spaces, MUMA offers a knowledge centre, a music theatre and a Moluccan culinary café.