Renovation and transformation of the National Holocaust Museum
| Client | Joods Cultureel Kwartier |
| Completion time | 2019 - 2024 |
| Market | Art and culture |
| Team | |
| In collaboration with | Urban Scouts (Wijngaarde & Partners), Office WinHov, construction company De Nijs, Klomp B.V., Elektropartners B.V., Meelis & Partners, Huygen, Adviesbureau Vekemans |
| Location | Amsterdam |
| Project scope | approx. 2500m² BVO |
| Expertises | |
On Sunday, March 10, 2024, King Willem-Alexander, in the presence of Prime Minister Rutte, State Secretary Gräper for Culture and Media, and State Secretary Van Ooijen of Health, Welfare and Sport, opened the National Holocaust Museum. It is a museum with a unique history. The Holocaust actually took place here.
The museum in Amsterdam consists of the renovated memorial monument the Hollandsche Schouwburg and the transformed Reformed Teacher Training College. ABT provided comprehensive advice from design to execution in the fields of building physics, installations, fire safety, structures, and geotechnics.
Persecution of Jews in the Netherlands
The National Holocaust Museum tells the history of the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands. Between 1940 and 1945, under orders from the German occupiers, Jews in the Netherlands, as well as Roma and Sinti, were systematically discriminated against, persecuted, deported, and murdered. Approximately 102,000 Jews living in the Netherlands were killed in the Holocaust. The museum displays the history of the Holocaust in the Netherlands and in the concentration and extermination camps in Europe through 2,500 objects, rediscovered photos and films, sound recordings, documents, and installations. The museum also covers the daily life of Jews before World War II, the liberation from the perspective of Jewish Dutch people, and the handling of the Holocaust in Dutch remembrance culture.
Hollandsche Schouwburg, and the transformed Reformed Teacher Training College
The museum consists of two historic buildings in Amsterdam: the Hollandsche Schouwburg as a memorial site and the former Reformed Teacher Training College as a museum; both located on one side of the Plantage Middenlaan. The Hollandsche Schouwburg was built in 1892 and during World War II, it was the place where Jewish Amsterdammers were gathered before being transported to transit and extermination camps. In the theater, children were separated from their parents and taken to the nursery across the street. From the nursery, caregivers lifted hundreds of them over the garden fence of the teacher training college. When the tram stopped and blocked the view from the theater, the children were smuggled to hiding places.
From the 1960s, the former theater was used as a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust. The theater hall and stage were then demolished. In their place, a courtyard with a memorial needle was created. In 2016, the temporary National Holocaust Museum in formation opened in the former teacher training college. Until early 2020, the public could get a first impression of the new, permanent National Holocaust Museum, which is now open.
Architecture of the National Holocaust Museum
The renovation and transformation of the buildings were carried out by the architectural firm Office Winhov and ABT. Architect Uri Gilad deliberately chose not to opt for a dark appearance, but rather for light. Uri: “Our goal was to make it palpable that Jews were deported from this place in broad daylight.” In the new museum, no tunnel has been created between the buildings. Visitors now follow the same route as the Jewish children did back then, with the tram stop in the middle.
Constructions
Michiel IJskes, structural engineer at ABT: “The facade of the former training school has been completely changed. The glass facade on the right front has been provided with a new, white facade with so-called Brazilian, openwork brickwork with the help of Buro Vekemans. The facade of the upper floors of the former school has been modified and provided with a new roof in the old contour. This resembles more how the former Reformed training school was originally built in 1888.” ABT also investigated the foundation and floors of the training school. The foundation turned out to be in good condition, and the floors have been additionally reinforced to handle the load of museum visitors.
Installation of ATES
Renovation also involves sustainability. For this purpose, an ATES (Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage) system was installed. The installation was quite a challenge because the equipment had to be transported to the enclosed courtyard of the former training school. After very precise calculations by ABT, Construction Company M.J. de Nijs and Sons managed to drive the heavy crane truck through a specially made passage into the fragile historic building.
Installations
New exhibition spaces and an auditorium have also been built in the former training school. Kitty Huijbers, building physics consultant at ABT, said: “Because there was little space for a technical room for this new and the existing building, we efficiently fitted it between the exhibition space and the auditorium. We can still access it for maintenance or emergencies, but it is different from usual.”
The installations in the building are laid out vertically due to the lack of space and the desire to maintain the free height of three floors. Kitty said: “We have brought back the chimneys that used to be in the building for the modern pipework. For the distribution of air in the spaces, we have partly created double walls.”
Images © Sander Koning
