Dutch studio Merk X has renovated the 19th-century Groote Museum at Amsterdam Zoo, combining the reinstatement of its original features with the addition of a new basement and contemporary accents informed by natural forms.
Designed in 1854 by Johannes van Maurik, the building historically acted as a member's hall and museum for the zoological society Natura Artis Magistra or Artis, which closed in 1946 prior to the entire structure being closed in 2011.
The renovation by Merk X, which has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022, stripped away previous alterations before restoring and upgrading the building to house a new natural history museum.
Merk X renovated Amsterdam's Groote Museum
"The design process is characterised by two complementary approaches: to restore and to update," said the practice. "After a long period of neglect, this national monument has regained the transparency that formed architect Van Maurik's two guiding principles: air and happiness," it continued.
Across the original building's two storeys, structural elements have been strengthened and original features, such as a striking double staircase in the rotunda, were altered to meet modern safety requirements with the addition of a higher balustrade.
It restored the building's original features
Beneath, a basement was dug out by placing the original building on a steel table during construction, providing a new entrance route as well as...