Pavilion at the Netherlands Open Air Museum

Mecanoo architecten has created a one-of-kind exhibition pavilion for the national heritage museum in Arnheim that arouses the visitor's curiosity right from the very outset. The winners of the TECU® Architecture Award 2000 clad the roof and facade free forms of this unusual object completely in brand-name TECU®- Classic copper strips, installed as seamed and batten cap cladding.

The building is composed of two parts that only appear separate at first glance. A mysterious, egg-shaped copper object, sunk halfway into the ground, creates a visually stimulating area in front of the shimmering 143m long wall made of various materials that comprises the entrance hall. Once behind this "city wall", made up of 40 different types of Dutch roofing slates and gates that appear to be original, it becomes clear that the unusual copper object is actually a part of the museum. In the interior, visitors pass through the foyer and two underground exhibition rooms into a lavish panoramic theatre for the depiction of Holland's history. The success of the composition derives its architectural tension from the use of only a few simple materials. Its complex statement is rendered using natural materials such as brick, clay, pine wood, and a pebble mosaic in plaster flooring. Copper takes on two special tasks: the material highlights to the unusual form of the building even from a distance and sets it apart from the other buildings; and copper's lively surface blends into its natural surroundings.