Mecanoo Architects' museum on the island of Texel in the Netherlands

Dutch architectural office Mecanoo Architecten have completed the Kaap Skil - Texel Maritime Museum project, the museum dedicated to sailors and all those who have lived in close contact with the marine environment over the centuries. It tells the story of a territory and of people.

The museum was created as a homage to the Dutch East India Company whose fleet used the island as an anchorage point while waiting for favourable winds before departing on their commercial expeditions to the Far East.

The particular feature of this building is its external roof structure made up of four linked gable roofs covered with hardwood planks. The roof is designed to look like waves rising above the dyke. The wood used on the roof and the façade provides a good example of the time-honoured technique of restoring what the sea has taken away – the wood comes from the wreckage of ships washed up over the years in the north Holland canal.

These wooden planks covering the whole building have a dual purpose: on the one hand it provides the image of lightweight structure arranged to protect the interior of the museum; on the other the panels create a linear pattern of daylight and shadows enhancing the feel of the exhibition areas.