Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum will welcome in the crowds via a brand new, glass-clad entrance this weekend.

Conceived by Kisho Kurokawa architect & associates, and developed by Hans van Heeswijk Architecten, the 10,500 sq ft structure has been described as a ‘sunken pond’ because of its lowered foyer.

It connects the main museum building, designed by Dutchman Gerrit Rietveld, to Kurokawa’s 1998 Exhibition Wing.

‘Improved access, better logistics and more space will allow us to give our visitors a much warmer welcome than before,’ says Van Gogh Museum director Axel Rüger.

Museum-goers can access the sunken entrance foyer via a glass staircase, a lit-up escalator or glazed lift. A cloakroom and a revamped museum shop also make up the structure – which opens onto Museumplein, a public square at the heart of Amsterdam’s cultural district that includes the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum.

‘This arrangement better suits the upgraded Museumplein – all its cultural institutions now have their entrances facing the square,’ added Rüger. ‘The transparent building with its state-of-the-art glass structure enriches both the Van Gogh Museum and Museumplein.’

As part of the festivities to mark the opening of the entrance, half of the Museumplein has been covered with 125,000 sunflowers, which will be handed out to members of the public on Sunday.