Mecanoo designs new entrance building for the world famous Keukenhof gardens

With 800.000 visitors in eight weeks each spring, Keukenhof is the busiest Dutch tourist attraction. The new entrance building, designed by Mecanoo, will provide a welcoming experience to the visitors from across the world. The building is characterized by a high degree of transparency and the use of natural materials.

Ticket counters, information desks, restaurants and shops, as well as an office space that is in use year-round, are divided over two building volumes underneath a grand stepped wooden roof structure. The wide entryway between the buildings leads the visitors into the famous garden. The open canopy allows for an abundance of daylight, regardless of the weather conditions. Technical installations have been cleverly embedded in the roof and therefore invisible to the visitors.

Vertical brickwork and large sections of glass curtain walls make up the ground level façade. The typical Dutch skies are brought inside through the open roof structure, built up from a large number of triangles. The materials – yellow-grey brick, warm red copper and light wood – lend character to the building without distracting from the natural environment. On a warm spring day, the façade facing the park can be opened almost entirely, allowing the public square and building to merge into one.

Construction is due to start early 2015.