Universiteitsmuseum
The first item of the University Museum that grabs your attention is the glass box in the front façade. A glassed-in corridor runs the length of the building, giving an immense feeling of space. Entering the museum garden, the Old Hortus, the greenhouses leap immediately to the eye. Also the 18th century orangeries and botanic laboratory are interesting buildings reminding of the early years of the Old Hortus. A former orangery is now a garden-fronted café. The museum is a building in super modernistic style, with functional elements. Super modernism originates with a minimalistic design and the use of materials like glass, concrete and steel. The museum function determines the form of the building: using glass makes the Old Hortus visible from the street as well and the box construction is excessively suited to fit up expositions. In 1997 Dutch architect Koen van Velsen won the prestigious Rietveldprijs and Archinormprijs for the sublime box-in-a-box concept.
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