MUSEUM VOORLINDEN: Temple of Art

In the small Dutch town of Wassenaar, some 15 kilometres north-east of The Hague, Museum Voorlinden was opened in 2016. The new building, designed by the Kraaijvanger Architects office in Rotterdam, cuts an impressive figure particularly due to its open and transparent architecture that creates a smooth transition between the inside and outside. The HERTALAN® EPDM system was used to waterproof the flat roof areas.

The Caldic Collection compiled by art enthusiast Joop van Caldenborgh is counted among the most extensive and significant private art collections in The Netherlands. It contains works of art from the classical modern period to the present. The collection is now permanently accessible to a wide audience thanks to Museum Voorlinden, which was opened in 2016 and is located on a historical estate 40 hectares in size in the municipality of Wassenaar in South Holland.

Roof construction

One special feature of this building is the ingenious lighting concept that, for the most part, avoids visible artificial light spots beneath the ceiling. Instead, indirect incident daylight from above is ensured by the glass roof – located in the centre of the building, measuring 2,500 square metres and consisting of 484 slightly tilted elements – and a pergola-style roof structure made from white painted steel placed on an elegant support colonnade arranged some two metres above.. For a perfectly coordinated incidence of light from the south, a total of 115,000 bevelled aluminium cylinders are integrated into the “screen” that seems to float above the building, directing approximately 20% of daylight into the building.

Adjacent to the steel, centred glass roof structure with its 484 individual elements, there were also closed-off roof sections measuring approximately 4,200 square metres in total surface area in the sometimes slightly lowered side wings of the building that needed to be taken into account. To provide effective protection against penetrating moisture, HERTALAN® EASY COVER EPDM sheets were applied above the insulation. The connection to the glass roof structure, also created with a HERTALAN® EASY COVER EPDM waterproofing product, required a special solution

Custom Made Solutions

During on-site implementation by the roofing company Admiraal from Nibbixwoud, the waterproofing solution was fully bonded to the substrate. Since the EPDM sheets are prefabricated in the factory using the hot bonding process, the number of seams needing closed on the flat roof was minimised. Custom-made HERTALAN® EPDM moulded parts were also used for efficient work progress on breakthroughs or corners. At the same time, the gutters integrated into the roof area were connected and lined with EPDM strips. The combination of different components, however, ultimately meant that the client’s high standards could be met on time.

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