The original museum design was already structured around two strong elements: the staircase and the ceiling. In the renovation, that ceiling becomes even more important. It does not sit above the public areas as a neutral technical plane. It follows them, connects them and gives movement through the building a softer rhythm.

The wave-like baffles bring the form language of the surrounding landscape into the museum. As visitors move between floors, the ceiling continues with them, creating a sense of continuity through entrance areas, circulation spaces and public programmes.

For a cultural building, this matters. The museum has to feel open and welcoming, but it also has to remain comfortable when people gather, speak, wait, move and pass through the same areas throughout the day.

The ceiling is simple to understand visually, but technically demanding to realise. Over three floors, the acoustic baffles had to remain aligned as one flowing surface while responding to different ceiling conditions, spatial transitions and suspension requirements.

This is where Akovision’s role becomes central. Working from the design by UNS / UNStudio, Akovision translated the architectural intention into execution, supplying the custom material and suspension approach and realising the ceiling through to completion in collaboration with GP Afbouw.

A particular challenge was the continuity. Different hanging techniques were required across the building, yet the finished ceiling had to read as one uninterrupted acoustic landscape. The result is a public interior where the technical solution disappears into the flow of the architecture.