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The Mauritshuis is a 17th century city palace in The Hague, exhibiting the very best Dutch paintings of the Golden Age. The museum needed a significant renovation and extension, which houses a new exhibition space, an auditorium and room for educational purposes.
Hidden techniques
Leading elements in Hans van Heeswijks' architecture are light and transparancy. The used technique aims to protect the building, the art collection, staff and visitors from fire, burglary, damage and climate influences. Our building services design and fire engineering made it possible to hide the vast amount of technique from the eye, absorbed by the architecture of the monumental building.
This result was achieved by the use of 3D-modeling, dynamic simulations and BIM (Building Information Modelling). We also visited the site frequently, together with the architect and the restoration architect, in order to find the best ways to integrate the technical equipment into the building.
In the tender phase, we executed a part of the design coordination. We worked out the tender documents in an above average level of 1:5, which made it possible to conceal all installation components, such as smoke alarms, switches, cameras and grids. Without these visual disturbances, the art collection and the monumental setting can get all the attention they deserve.
