About the museum:
Since 1995, the entire 42,000ha area has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing, and since 2005, the Linie is declared Dutch National Monument. Fort Vechten, owned by the Forestry Department, is included in this refurbishment program and since 2006 the fortress, consisting of military barracks and ammunition storage buildings, was slowly being restored and a new National Waterlinie Museum was constructed.
After many years of neglect, the grassed structure – all the buildings taking up 10% of the site are buried – was completely overgrown. West 8 and Rapp+Rapp Architects won the competition commissioned by Utrecht Province in 2006. Together with Rapp+Rapp (Christian Rapp) in collaboration with Jonathan Penne Architecten (Penne Hangelbroek), West 8 helped to guide the process of rehabilitation and construction of the site. Besides the restoration of buildings and museum construction works, part of the 17ha earthen bastion has also been brought back into its original state. The museum was opened to the public in 2015.
For more information on the project visit: The Making of Fort bij Vechten, Fort Vechten l Waterline Museum and Hollandse Waterlinie or the article by The Atlantic City Lab: How a Defensive Moat Became a Top Tourist Attraction.
Client
Province of Utrecht
Partners
Rapp+Rapp (Christian Rapp) in collaboration with Jonathan Penne Architecten (Penne Hangelbroek), Bunker Q, K2, Parklaan and Anne Holtrop
Awards
NRP Gulden Feniks Award 2016 in category Area Transformation for Fort Bij Vechten, the Netherlands (2016);