Mecanoo architecten searched for a facade material for Kaap Skil that would be sustainable in the broadest sense: aesthetic quality, longevity and environmentally friendly. The wooden slats used in the facades come from tropical hardwood wood piling from the North Holland Canal. A Mecanoo employee came across the wood after he had contacted the North Holland CO2 hotline about used building wood. He was sent to a contractor in the north of the Provence of Noord-Holland (close to Texel), who was commissioned by the department of Public Works to replace the 25 year old wood piling from the North Holland Canal. The wood piles were transported to Texel and cut into slats by the local sawyer Pieter Dros, yielding 10 kilometers worth.

The un-sawed edges have been deliberately placed on the visible side of the façade. After forty years of residence under water the white, gray, rust red, purple, brown colours are beautifully weathered. The untreated Azobé wood is strong, and the curvatures are perfect for a maritime museum. The vertical wooden battens (50 x 50 mm) cover both the front, the rear side as well as the roof. The 70mm spacing creates transparency into the museum if you stand in front of it: you look through to the rear museum grounds. Outside a tight alternation of open and sheltered is created and from inside, a fascinating and beautiful play of daylight and shadows.