This proposal for a new Film Museum is sited in the grounds of a former hospital (Binnengasthuis) in Amsterdam. Its principal issue relates directly to the exceptional location. The Binnengasthuis grounds has a long history going back to the 15th century. In the beginning, the site was occupied by two convents. Later the convent buildings housed a hospital. The original easy-to-read convent structure ceded over time to a chaotic, disconnected assemblage of buildings. In the 1980s, the frontage surrounding the area was broken open and the grounds joined the Amsterdam street pattern.

The programme of the new Film Museum consists of screening rooms, exhibition areas, a library, a café cum restaurant, offices and stores. This varied assortment induced me to radically recast the Binnengasthuis grounds. The principal reason for doing so was to reintroduce the original subdued ambience and endow the area with a clearer and better organized structure. The building responds to the existing ensemble and strengthens the spatial qualities on site: the bustle of the street versus the peace and quiet of the former convent gardens. This gives it two identities. On the street side there is a more muted facade with the occasional aperture to give pedestrians an impression of the building's interior and the gardens beyond. The facade on the garden side is more fragmented and locks into the structure of the convent gardens and surrounding buildings. Here are the entrance and public amenities. Visitors can reach the gardens and the entrance to the Film Museum in several ways. The routeing from the street to the garden is a game played with looking forwards and looking back.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Tony Fretton, Saskia de Wit & Andrew Borgart