Park Groot Vijversburg was established in the 19th century and contains a rich history of flora and fauna. A historical villa is centrally placed in the park. Throughout the year, the park hosts many events such as international exhibitions of contemporary art, musical performances, church services and excursions. The assignment is to design a new visitor center, renovate the historical villa, develop a natural stage for performances, and create glasshouses for the botanical gardens.
The visitor center is positioned next to the historical villa. In plan, the form is as if pulled tightly in three directions while maintaining a required main hall. As the main hall stretches, it gradually becomes a path – naturally transforming into a park trail. This slowly pulled wing loses its quality of interior space as one progresses along it, leaving only its wall, until it finally disappears into the park environment.
In this way, the building establishes a large scale similar to that of the generous park, and at the same time, the enclosed space provides small scale ambiance and intimacy. This is our aspiration for the new visitor center. This building is an architectural project, but it also can be imagined as part of the landscape. The visitor center, along with the other projects, is planned for completion in 2014.
