PLAYING SAFE
National Military Museum
The collections of the Military Aviation Museum in Soesterberg and the Army Museum in Delft were to merge into a new museum located in the former Soesterberg airbase. The Dutch government launched an exciting competition. Five teams competed, each consisting of an architect, an exhibition designer, a landscape architect, and a project developer. The winner was responsible for the integral design of the building, the interior, the exhibition, and the surrounding landscape, and also for the maintenance and exploitation during the first 25 years. We won the pitch as part of the Heijmans PPP consortium with Felix Claus Dick van Wageningen Architects and H+N+S Landscape Architects.
- Location
- Soesterberg (NL)
- Client
- Ministry of Defence
- Year
- 2014
- Service
- Concept, spatial design, graphic design, art direction
The scale of the project is enormous. It involves a total exhibition area of 20,000 m², a spectacular roof measuring 110 by 250 meters and 13 meter high glass exterior walls.
Three-part collage
Two museums in one
We have developed a museum concept with two types of exhibition environments. A ‘daylight museum‘ on the ground floor illustrates a chronological overview of approximately one thousand years of military technology, featuring tanks and aircrafts.
The ‘black box’ in the center of the building takes a thematic approach. In the seven theatrical environments that have been created here, stories are central: stories about the importance of water for our defense; stories about the past, present and future of the armed forces; the position of the armed forces in Dutch society; but also many personal stories and dilemmas.
If you're interested in military history or simply want to gain a deeper understanding of the Netherlands' past, this museum is a must-visit. It's a place that not only educates but also encourages reflection on the sacrifices made to ensure the peace and freedom enjoyed today.
For experts and beginners
In order to attract not only experts but also families and a wider audience, we added a great deal of dynamism and layers to the exhibitions. Each presentation has its own layer of content aimed at a specific target group. For true connoisseurs there is always extra information available. We developed an interactive Xplore environment especially for children where, for example, they can fly in an F16 or make their own gunpowder.
Three-part collage
Awards
Dutch Museum Award 2016
- Nominated
DagjeWeg.nl Award 2015
- Winner
European Museum of the Year Award 2016
- Honorable mention
Design Week Awards 2015
- Nominated
