An immersive exhibition experience for the Natural History Museum Maastricht.
In the heart of the Natural History Museum Maastricht, Buro Loof designed a spatial experience that brings visitors face to face with one of the most iconic creatures of the Cretaceous period: Bèr — the Netherlands’ most famous ‘dinosaur’ who, in fact, isn’t a dinosaur at all. Bèr is a Mosasaurus — a marine reptile related to lizards, iguanas, and snakes.
The exhibition ‘Meet Bèr – Mosasaurus Experience’ immerses visitors in the Maastrichtian, the final stage of the Cretaceous, when a warm, shallow inland sea covered what is now the south of the Netherlands. In this subtropical sea, some 70 million years ago, giant marine predators ruled the waters: the Mosasaurus.
At the centre of the exhibition swims Bèr’s full-scale skeleton, an 11-metre-long 3D-printed reconstruction. His fossil remains were unearthed in 1998 in the ENCI quarry near Maastricht and have since become a symbol of South Limburg’s paleontological heritage. In collaboration with Naturalis Biodiversity Center, a digital 3D model was created based on scans of the original fossil and a related species from Angola. Layer by layer, this digital model was brought to life using advanced 3D printing technology.
Buro Loof transformed the exhibition space into a fully immersive underwater world. Shaped from layered wood, the exhibition landscape echoes the ancient seabed from the time of the Mosasaurus. These wooden layers guide and respond to the exhibition’s content, curving toward visitors where they can sit, touch fossil casts, or listen to stories. The design integrates all spatial elements into a unified, tactile environment. Bèr’s ocean as a sculpted, walkable world.
The exhibition is conceived as a sequence of encounters. Visitors are guided step by step through Bèr’s story: from his discovery and scientific reconstruction to a glimpse of his life in the Cretaceous sea. From the very first moment, visitors are face-to-face with him, suspended from the ceiling, mouth wide open in a dramatic welcome. With large-scale projections, immersive soundscapes, and dynamic lighting, the exhibition creates an experience that is both educational and magical, for children and adults alike.
Not a Dinosaur
Category
Cultural
Location
Maastricht
125m²
Size
2024
Year
2015 Shortlist Gulden Feniks
Recognitions
