KAAN Architecten has completed the visitor centre at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Photos
Simon Menges
Comprising 65 acres, the Netherlands American Cemetery in the town of Margraten, 10km east of Maastricht, contains the graves of some 8,000 American soldiers from the First and Second World Wars. Dedicated as a cemetery in 1960 and administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), it was originally designed by American landscape architect Michael Rapuano, sculptor Joseph Kiselewski, and architecture firm Coolidge, Sheply, Bulfinch and Abbott, in collaboration with local architect Alphons Boosten of Maastricht.
The new visitor centre by KAAN Architecten creates a space that can facilitate programming run by the ABMC for what is the only American cemetery in the Netherlands. With a view to respect the original 1960s monument and landscaping, the new visitor is placed slightly away from the cemetery, with pathways leading to the burial grounds and monuments, as per the designs of Dutch practice, Karres en Brands Landscape Architecture and Urbanism, who helped to integrate the project into the landscape.
Tucked away behind trees and sunken into the sloping landscape, the visitor centre hosts an auditorium, clad in panelling of warm American walnut, as well as service areas, restrooms and exhibition space. Viewed from afar, the centre appears to float, with a layered concrete fascia hanging from the roof which cantilevers over a glass wall. The fascia is supported by walls which form a 12-by-12-metre square within the premises, the outsides of which can be used for exhibits showcasing authentic artefacts and personal narratives that reveal the harsh realities and sacrifices of war. Inside this square is the auditorium, which has been clad with American walnut panelling.
“In today’s world of increasing international conflict and uncertainty, the visitor centre is an important way to commemorate those buried on the site and to learn about the dynamics that led to the liberation of Europe,” said the architects in a statement. “This intervention does not detract from the monumental features, but architecturally complements the cemetery landscape with style and dignity.”
“The distinguished yet inviting Visitor Center is an architectural enhancement to the Netherlands American Cemetery, offering visitors a special place to learn and reflect, amid the tranquillity of the surrounding landscape.”
More images and drawings
Credits
Client
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)
Architect
KAAN Architecten
Landscape architect
Karres + Brands landschapsarchitecten B.V.
Structural designer and supervisor
Pieters Bouwtechniek
Mechanical and electrical designer and supervisor
HP Engineers
Civil designer and supervisor
Smits Rinsma, Zutphen
Fire safety engineer & acoustics advisor
DGMR
Main contractor
Groep Van Roey
Structural engineer
DeClerk & Partners
Structural engineer contractor
C.T. de Boer
Mechanical engineer
Deltha
Electrical engineer
Maris
Civil engineer
Dirix
Source: Architecture Today
