In the 15th century, the Gruuthuse Museum in Bruges was an imposing city palace. At the end of the 19th century, the city architect Louis Delacenserie radically renovated it into a museum dedicated to lace-making and historical heritage. Over time, it acquired an increasingly stuffy image, but a bold renovation by noAarchitecten turned the tide. The new entrance pavilion heralds this change from afar. Yet it did not come about without a struggle.

The Gruuthuse Museum neighbours the imposing Church of Our Lady. Since the 1950s, the palace’s forecourt had extended into the square in front of the church, where a cemetery once stood. The museum’s ticket desk was then located in the church’s entrance hall. NoA wanted to do away with that: in their view, the museum’s interior design had to make it clear that this was once the residence of powerful citizens. In that case, you don’t want a ticket desk right at the door.