![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-4a.jpg)
Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat
Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has completed an underground museum extension with a park on top in Assen, the Netherlands.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-5.jpg)
The new gallery wing at the Drents Museum is burrowed into the ground around a former coach-house, which is retained as a new ground-floor entrance.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-8.jpg)
Just past the foyer is a single large exhibition hall, with a ceiling of curved stripes that ascend above the ground surface to create high-level windows.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-2.jpg)
These folding waves create gentle slopes on the ground above, where pathways lead across a planted garden to the city beyond.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-11.jpg)
Erick van Egeraat has designed a number of projects in Europe, including a stadium in Moscow, a city hall in Budapest and an incinerator in Roskilde - see more projects here.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-7.jpg)
Photography is by J Collingridge.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-0.jpg)
Here's some more information from the architects:
Erick van Egeraat completes new Museum in Assen [NL]
On the 16th of November Erick van Egeraat’s new Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, will be officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-10.jpg)
The festive re-inauguration of the Museum marks the official end of 18 months of construction within budget and timeframes.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-3.jpg)
Erick van Egeraat’s design was unanimously voted the winner at the design competition by the Jury and the client, the province of Drenthe.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-1.jpg)
His vision to use the extension of the Museum as an organizing instrument for the Museum as a whole was the decisive factor.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-9.jpg)
The most important aspect of Erick van Egeraat’s design is the consistent integration of the museum with the cities fabric.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-6.jpg)
A balanced play of building, landscape and water, creates a new identity for the extended museum.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-14.gif)
The design reinforces both the scenic character and the cultural-historic face of Assen’s city centre.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-13.gif)
The staggered, organic roof of the new wing connects existing gardens and parks in the city. Erick van Egeraat is thus creating a publicly accessible park.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-16.gif)
Openings in the roof allow light to penetrate into the exhibition spaces below. The new wing links the new entrance with existing parts of the museum and the city landscape.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-17.gif)
The existing coach-house will serve as the museum’s new main entrance.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-15.gif)
Lifted 1 meter above the ground, the existing structure rests on a glass plinth, revealing the building’s new function in an elegant manner.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-19.gif)
The historic façade is left untouched, therefore preserving the buildings civic appearance.
![Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Drents-Museum-by-Erick-van-Egeraat-18.gif)
During the day, the glass plinth allows light to enter the building. At night, interior lighting transforms the coach-house into a beacon for the city and its inhabitants.