Groninger Museum - western pavilion

In 1990, the local company Gasunie celebrated its 25th anniversary and decided to give the city a gift on this occasion. Three years earlier, Frans Haks, the director of the museum in Groningen, approached Italian designer Alessandro Mendini to design a new museum for him. Mendini, who is more of a designer than an architect, invited Philippe Starck, Michelle de Lucchi, and Coop Himmelb(l)au to collaborate. A generous donation of 25 million Dutch guilders made everything easier and allowed for the creation of a museum complex consisting of three buildings on the Verbindings canal. Even during the preparations, opponents of the museum managed to block the project for an entire year. Protests mainly concerned the controversial appearance of the museum. Local people feared that their houses would lose value and that no one would want to buy their properties. Construction of the museum began in 1992 and took two years to complete. People eventually had to get used to the vibrant colors and unusual shapes. The Groninger Museum also came into being thanks to the efforts of councilor Ypke Gietema, who, despite all the protests, managed to secure the museum's placement at its current location. A pedestrian bridge runs through the center of the museum, connecting the main train station with the city ring and the center. The low circular pavilion is designed by French designer Philippe Starck, the middle golden tower was designed by Alessandro Mendini, and the eastern pavilion is the work of the Vienna-based deconstructivists Coop Himmelb(l)au.