Cohabitation Anchored in Collaboration
Stadskanaal Library and the former Streekhistorisch Centrum – now Museum van de Streek – had been working together regularly for years. Building on that shared foundation, they decided to take the next step: one shared home. Not as two organizations side by side, but as one place with a shared meaning for the community.
For the museum, this meant relocating from an outdated facility to a more spacious and future-oriented home within the library building. The central question was how this merger could grow into a place where residents truly feel at home. How could it become a place where history, knowledge and growth come together naturally?
"It's special to work on a place where library and museum blend into one and together form a new story."
Sustainable Shelves!
"Library and museum united under one roof – here, the stories of yesterday, today, and tomorrow are told in harmony. Unique for Groningen and hopefully an inspiration for other municipalities!"
Getting to the Core
The challenge wasn’t just about combining functions and square footage, it was about finding a shared identity. From the spatial layout to content, the goal was to create a symbiosis between the library and the museum, without one overpowering the other. What should this place mean to the people of Stadskanaal? And how do you make that tangible in the space itself?
Together with staff, users and our project partner XPEX Experience Experts, the team explored what the heart of this new place should be. Through design workshops with the library and museum teams, and surveys among visitors of all ages, it became clear what people need to feel genuinely welcome. Card games, conversations and co-creation sessions revealed the connections between functions and the stories that needed to be told here.
All of these insights were translated into spatial decisions: recognizable zones that support both quiet and connection, places where the region’s history is palpable, and spaces that invite use and change. The library and museum are deliberately woven together into one continuous space. Designed within the framework by XPEX Experience Expert, the museum experience includes historical immersive units. These units are a series of narrative locations scattered throughout the library, sharing the history of the region.
Tiny Adventures
Open and in Motion
The result is an accessible living room and third place; somewhere you can dock and leave feeling enriched. Through a clever reorganization of the existing space and clear sightlines, library and museum flow naturally into one another. Visitors can read, learn, connect, and reflect on the past and future, with a natural coherence between collection, heritage and programming.
The warm, layered interior supports this use. Recognizable zones, carefully chosen colors and reused materials give the place its own identity. Orange and rose tones were chosen for the library, blue tones for the museum. Custom furniture and playfully integrated museum elements make the story of the region visible in everyday use. With the reopening came the name: ‘t Dok. Open and in motion. This is now a place where generations meet, where history becomes tangible, and where old and new stories strengthen each other.
(Portrait Helen Kämink by Jaap Kok)
“The history of Kanaalstreek consists of many stories. By translating them into experiences, places are created where history becomes tangible.”
Play & Learn
“We wanted to be an accessible, open and recognizable museum for everyone, regardless of education level, age, financial means or background. Together with the library, we tell our stories: by, for and about the people who shaped our dynamic region into what it is today.”
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