VONK Museum

The site
The Prehistoric Village is located in the Genneper Parken, one of the green wedges of Eindhoven. This wedge is formed by two streams, the Dommel and the Tongelreep, which converge in the adjacent Stadswandelpark. The area, and its agrarian cultural-historical landscape, provides a glimpse into the past. The Genneper Hoeve, the Genneper Watermill (painted by Van Gogh), and the Clarissenklooster all tell parts of the region's history. The new museum building is planned at the location currently occupied by the circuit of driving school Leeuw. By relocating this circuit to another location, a part of the paved area can be transformed into a new museumpark. Doing this creates more space for an expansion of the Prehistoric Village so it includes more time zones and more space to explain the recent development of one of Europe's most important innovation regions.

Another part of the driving school will be transformed into an publicly accessible extension of the Genneper Parken. To better align with the historical character of the surroundings, the landscape design of the public park is based on the situation of approximately two centuries ago. The museum building aligns with the original parcel structure, perpendicular to the stream and fits naturally into the surrounding landscape.

Design
The museum building is an integral part of the (new) green environment, both in its choice of materials and in its form. The roof is supported by wooden columns, wooden trusses, and cross-laminated timber roof panels. The trusses are twisted relative to each other, giving the roof a sculptural double curvature. This creates higher spaces in the “maakschuur” and the “introshow”, while the restaurant and offices have a lower ceiling and are more intimate. The closed sections of the facade are made of pigmented lime-hemp applied in layers, reflecting the local soil profile. At the same time, the building rises and detaches itself from the ground. Together with the green roof, it creates the image of a structure carved out of the surrounding landscape. This image is reinforced by lifting the lime-hemp above ground level, effectively showcasing the building as if it were emerging from the fertile soil upon which the region has flourished. The green roof, adorned with native plants and shrubs, is accessible to visitors and offers a beautiful view of the Genneper Parken and the skyline of Eindhoven.

Routing
Visitors enter the building from the Genneper Parken. Museal functions without daylight requirements, such as the introshow and the timeline, are placed in the middle of the building, allowing maximum visibility of the surroundings from all other spaces. Visitors first enter the introshow, then view the timeline, and eventually reach the interactive “maakschuur”. In this large space, visitors can participate in the fabrication process of the “sparks''. After completion, these “sparks” exit the museum every few months through the large doors in the facade. The maakschuur provides access to the museum park, and the rest of the museum route. The maakschuur is also connected to the restaurant, which provides access to the terrace through a series of folding doors. A conference room recides above the kitchen, and offers views on both the maakschuur and the restaurant. The scenic rooftop route starts at the terrace, continues over the curved roof, passes by a circular sun garden with PV panels and a picking garden and ends at the viewing point. Visitors exit the museum through the shop. The restaurant, terrace, and roof are freely accessible.

Reuse of Biobasecamp
The interior walls of the museum are made from recycled cross-laminated timber (CLT) harvested from the Biobasecamp. This pavilion was designed by SMV (Studio Marco Vermeulen) for the Dutch Design Week of 2019 and featured in the documentary "Houtbouwers" by Tegenlicht. The Biobasecamp is constructed from modular CLT panels and designed in such a way that the material can be easily reused in a new building. In VONK, the material from the Biobasecamp finds a new purpose.

Climate
The museum building is primarily climate-controlled using natural methods. In the two high facades of the building, three large ventilation hatches are open for the largest part of the year and provide natural ventilation. The hatches are closed when the outdoor temperature is too low or too high, in this case the building is ventilated mechanically and heated or cooled through underfloor heating with geothermal energy as the energy source.

The sanitary wastewater is purified in a helophyte filter before being pumped onto the roof. It is retained on the roof as long as possible, and provides water for the green roof during drier periods.