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Bettesworth Construction
Architecture

Carmody Groarke’s Design Museum Gent Opens to the Public

Design Museum Gent reopened after a four-year renovation, with Carmody Groarke’s five-storey wing connecting historic buildings and adding public, exhibition and event spaces.

By Bettesworth Construction Team 2 min read

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Design Museum Gent reopened on 3 October 2026 after a four-year renovation and expansion. A new five-storey wing reconnects the museum’s historic buildings, creating additional exhibition and public spaces while completing the site in Ghent’s historic centre.

When did Design Museum Gent reopen?

The museum reopened to the public on 3 October 2026. Visit Gent listed the reopening celebration for 3–11 October, with a festive weekend of music, performances, workshops and a design market. Ten exhibitions at different locations around Ghent were also scheduled during that period. See Visit Gent’s reopening information for the event program.

What changed in the building?

The project brings together museum buildings dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries and adds a five-storey wing on the last vacant plot in the historic-centre site. Rather than standing apart as a separate object, the extension links previously distinct parts of the museum and provides a new route through the complex.

Carmody Groarke led the renovation, adaptation and extension in collaboration with Ghent-based ATAMA Architects and heritage architects RE-ST. Its project page lists Sogent and Design Museum Gent as clients, identifies the project as completed and gives a total project area of 8,600 m²; that figure is not stated as gallery area. The design and team details are on Carmody Groarke’s project page.

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What is the new wing for?

The extension adds more than exhibition space. Visit Gent describes it as a public “urban room” or third place, with a city room, museum café and inner garden. The project also accommodates exhibitions, workshops, talks and events, alongside research and collection-care functions.

The entrance is marked by a 3D-printed gate by Studio Unfold. Visit Gent also highlights the facade’s Ghent Waste Brick, reporting that it uses 63% compressed local waste streams and that 80,000 bricks were used. Those are the visitor authority’s reported figures; they do not establish a lifecycle assessment or quantify carbon savings. Further visitor-facing building details appear on Visit Gent’s Design Museum Gent page.

What can visitors see?

The collection dates to 1903 and comprises around 24,000 objects, according to Visit Gent. The renewed presentation is organized around five themes: imitation, migration, folds, connections and comfort. Visit Gent’s visitor listing says more than 450 objects and archival drawings, dating from 1300 to the present, are on permanent display; the collection total is not the number on display.

The project also frames the building as something that can evolve with its users. In a report published by Wallpaper* on 1 October 2026, Carmody Groarke co-founding director Andy Groarke described it this way: “The building isn’t an endpoint. It’s a scaffold for young Belgian designers, who are going to continually hack, redesign, interpret, misinterpret, use and misuse this building”. Read the Wallpaper* report.

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Plan a visit

Visit Gent lists the museum at Drabstraat 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium, and notes CityCard Gent as a benefit for entry. Opening hours, ticket terms and the current exhibition program can change, so check the museum’s official information before travelling. The city’s reopening events ran from 3–11 October 2026; that event period has passed.

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