VISITOR JOURNEY
Magritte Museum – RMFAB
The Magritte Museum, part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in the heart of Brussels, manages the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of René Magritte, with more than 230 artworks and archival pieces. Since the museum opened its doors in 2009 at Place Royale, this diverse collection has been presented in a multidisciplinary display featuring paintings, gouaches, drawings, objects, posters, photographs, and films.
Each year, more than 320,000 visitors find their way to the 2,500 m² exhibition space. After more than fifteen years, the time had come to give the museum a new impulse — not only technically in terms of the building, but especially in the way visitors experience it. The refurbishment therefore provided a good opportunity to reassess the entire customer journey: from first impression to the final step outside.
Together with the client, DWARS ontwerp mapped the visitor experience. We looked through the eyes of the public and spoke with staff from various disciplines within the RMFAB. How does the entrance feel? How legible is the building? Where does confusion arise, and where does a sense of calm prevail? How do visitor facilities relate to the exhibitions? And how does the building’s appearance contribute to the expectations evoked by Magritte?
Through observation, dialogue, and analysis, a layered picture of the museum circuit emerged. We translated these insights into recommendations for a contemporary look and feel of the building and its visitor facilities, with concrete proposals and conceptual spatial explorations for a recognizable entrance, intuitive visitor navigation, logical positioning and design of public functions, and the addition of rest and meeting areas for different target groups. In this way, we laid the foundation for a future-proof visitor experience that not only functions well, but also surprises — in the spirit of Magritte.
client: Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels
analysis, recommendations and visualizations: DWARS ontwerp
year: 2023
