The House of Art

Located on a small island, 'De Kleine Weerd' in Maastricht, the project is camouflaged and protected from floods by a raised green belt. As a house for art inspired by 'Art as Therapy' by Alain de Botton, it offers visitors a tranquil sanctuary to explore the therapeutic powers of art.

The project originated from two starting points. On the one hand, the mystical character of the green island must be guaranteed. On the other hand, to protect the building structure against flooding. For this reason, the island has been raised by means of an earth belt that follows the existing slopes of the island. The project is nestled inside this green belt, protected and camouflaged. The building functions as a house for art, based on the principles of the book 'Art as Therapy' by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong. A place where art is created and exhibited. Supplemented by a library and artist studios. The open studio atmosphere allows the various art forms to dialogue with each other and thus be raised to a higher level. The structure consists of 2 strips (mass and openness) creating a central patio. In one, spatiality is created by taking away mass. In the other, it is created by adding mass. We see that the contrast between the solid and open strip benefits the programme. For example, the inner open strip is used as a social and public zone. In contrast, the outer solid strip has a more closed, private and quiet character. The artists each have an open studio where interaction or workshops with the visitors can take place. At the same time, the artists have the possibility to retreat in the private extension of the studios. The library is equipped with a public reading zone, but also smaller quiet reading rooms within the outer strip. The contrast is also important for the exhibition zone as there are artificially and naturally lit spaces to present a wide variety of artworks.