Design Museum Gent, in Ghent, reopened on 3 October 2026 following years of renovation and expansion. The redevelopment includes a new museum wing, restored historic buildings, redesigned collection displays and spaces dedicated to experimentation and public participation.

The museum, Belgium’s largest dedicated to design, celebrated its reopening with a ten-day programme of exhibitions, creative activities and events. Design Fest Gent, which ran until 11 October, extended the celebrations to locations across the city.

New wing connects historic buildings

The redevelopment brings together the museum’s historic buildings on Jan Breydelstraat and a new wing on Drabstraat. The extension was designed by London-based architecture practice Carmody Groarke in collaboration with Belgian studio ATAMA, while RE-ST oversaw the restoration and renovation of the existing buildings.

The new wing provides additional space for exhibitions, collections and public activities while improving connections between the different parts of the museum.

Its façade is made from bricks containing 63% raw materials recovered from local waste streams, reflecting the museum’s interest in sustainable design and material reuse.

Design interventions are also integrated throughout the buildings. These include furniture by Casimir and Bram Vanderbeke & Wendy Andreu, landscaping by Bas Smets, acoustic curtains by Chevalier-Masson and ‘Freeze Frame 82.2‘, a 3D-printed aluminium entrance gate by Unfold.

Exhibitions explore design and society

The reopening also marks a change in the museum’s approach to presenting design. Rather than focusing solely on individual objects, it examines how design influences everyday life, technology, public spaces and wider social issues.

The renewed collection presentation, ‘Collection. Models from the Past for the Future‘, places historical and contemporary objects alongside each other to explore how designers have responded to changing needs, technologies and ideas.

Another exhibition, ‘Public Matter(s)‘, examines the relationship between design and democracy, including how design shapes public spaces, institutions and the ways people live together.

Spaces for experimentation and participation

Several new spaces encourage visitors to engage directly with design.

In ‘CO-LAB‘, seven historic period rooms in Hotel De Coninck have been transformed into collaborative laboratories. Designers, researchers and local communities work on projects involving queer archiving, ecological co-creation, low-tech energy solutions and open-source tools.

‘CONNECT‘ is an interactive space where visitors can touch, test and use design objects, while ‘Studio Digital‘, located in and around the historic Louis XVI salon, explores the influence of digital technologies, algorithms and artificial intelligence on design and museum collections.

The latter includes ‘Searcher‘, a project developed through a long-term collaboration between the museum and ‘Studio Digital’ to explore new ways of navigating its digital collection.

A new chapter for the museum

The redevelopment was carried out through cooperation between Design Museum Gent, the City of Ghent, the Flemish Government and other partners.

Outgoing museum director Katrien Laporte described the project as an effort to create more than an expanded museum, emphasising its ambition to become a socially relevant institution where communities can collectively explore and interpret contemporary challenges.

Ghent Alderwoman for Culture Astrid De Bruycker (Vooruit) welcomed the additional space for designers and interdisciplinary collaboration, arguing that the project would strengthen Ghent’s position as an international design and cultural centre.

Alderman for Urban Development Joris Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) highlighted the improved connections between the historic buildings and the creation of a more accessible museum.

The reopening festivities began on 2 October with a free evening programme featuring DJs, performances and installations. Ghent duo 2manydjs performed from the balcony of the new museum wing, turning the surrounding streets into an outdoor party.

The museum officially reopened to the public the following day, with Design Fest Gent continuing across the city until 11 October.