Rubenshuis

The reception building for the Rubenshuis forms the new architectural gateway to the universe Peter Paul Rubens created for himself – with the artist's residence, studio and garden with garden pavilion and portico. It houses the reception, multimedia experience centre, library, study centre, spaces for public activities and back-office. The volume is planned on Hopland, where Rubens housed his extensive library in 1639. Referring to this, the flanks of the new building are conceived as two giant bookcases facing each other. Rubens’ renowned library collection structures the spaces, as it were.

This building is an architectural reflection on European art history. Rubens is considered one of the driving forces behind the Baroque period. Rubens ís movement, he ís tension – we emphatically incorporated this into the design. Three large spiral staircases create a swirling dynamic, bringing movement to the static of the architecture. They recall Rubens' preference for monumental diagonals. The facades - with staccato stacking of colonnades - symbolize musculature, after the archetype of the strong body often centralized to Rubens' paintings. The proportions of the facades refer to the ancient palazzos that Rubens found inspiring. Despite its size, the new volume establishes a subdued relationship with the site: it avoids the major perspectival axes and occupies a rather lateral position. It fully serves the master's universe. The reception building returns to the inspiring interplay between art, business, research and society that Rubens knew how to stage so ingeniously.

The flanks of the building are conceived as two giant bookcases facing each other over the full height. The project was therefore constructed from two side aisles containing the heavy volumes of the archive rooms, as well as the logistics programme and back-office functions. A floor slab was stretched between these side aisles, creating an open plan. The main material used is concrete. In itself, it is a rather poor material, but the fineness of the dimensions and the layered construction of the façade (with the colonnades) give it extra allure. Through geothermal drilling and solar panels, the building provides independently extracted energy. It produces more energy than necessary and is able to offload energy to the historical house - which creates the opportunity to empty valuable spaces occupied by technical services and dedicate them to the public. The building's heavy floor plates, designed to support thousands of books, allow their mass to be used in heating and cooling.