The meter-high reflecting chalice already attracted a lot of attention during construction. Now the first visitors are allowed to enter the new depot of the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam. Because unlike usual with art storage, it is not “forbidden access” here, but rather: “come and see!”
It will undoubtedly become a crowd puller in Rotterdam: the roof of the depot building next to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The view over the city is spectacular, as is the birch forest that has been built on it. The reflection of the sun in the facade of the catering pavilion on the roof makes you feel like you are in the spotlight of a photo studio. And under your feet is the world’s first public art depot: a gigantic storage space for over 150,000 works of art.
This weekend, after years of construction, the public can really get to know the giant mirrored glass “salad bowl” that the MVRDV architectural firm landed in the Museum Park for the first time. On the occasion of the so-called Silver Opening, 7,700 lucky people can already visit the still empty depot; the tickets were issued within three hours. The real opening is next year, when the collection – including 87,000 prints and drawings – has moved there.
The building has been attracting attention for some time: the convex facade deforms the Rotterdam skyline and whoever walks around it sees himself as in a laughing mirror. Tourists kneel deeply to capture the building. “Someone who took a step too far back has already fished out of the pond of the Nieuwe Instituut, our neighbor across the way,” says Boijmans director Ina Klaassen.
The reason for the project – costs: 90 million euros – was a lack of properly secured storage space that was not flooded. “When the museum building opened in 1935, all works of art were in the gallery, now it is about 7 percent,” says Klaassen. The rest was stored in the basement and, now that the museum is being renovated, is located in seven external depots. “We could do two things,” says Klaassen. “Building a closed box with a large fence on an industrial estate.” That would take the collection away from the public forever. The other option: making the collection accessible to everyone, in a public depot. Something similar has also been done in Museum aan de Stroom in Antwerp, where the public can visit a viewing depot.
The backside
In Rotterdam, everyone will soon be able to see “the back of the museum”, where the curators’ works and art are stored. “This part of the museum is not about artistic quality, but about questions such as: how was a work made, with which materials and how do you treat them? You can no longer see the “sanctity” of the art that you experience in an exhibition hall in the mass of the depot. It offers a completely different experience. “Through this” objective “approach, Klaassen wants to bind a new audience to the museum; it targets 150,000 to 200,000 visitors per year.
But how exciting are rooms full of slide carousels and shelves with paintings? You have to make it exciting, says architect Winy Maas, and that starts as soon as you arrive. The entrance is invisibly concealed in the facade. With a “Sesame open!” – push of a button moves a double door out of the mirror glass; Maas copied the technology from a manufacturer of passenger buses. You imagine yourself Ali Baba entering the treasury.
In the concrete entrance hall, Maas makes a comparison with Fort Knox, the ultra-secure gold storage facility in the United States. Works with a combined value of 8 billion euros are kept in the Rotterdam treasury. In addition, there are collections of private individuals who can rent space in the depot building. These collections must be protected against theft, fire and a possible dike breach; the depots are therefore at 8 m + NAP. The heavy concrete construction required to create the intricate shell shape and support the roof garden plus archives remains unfinished. Maas: “You can see that it is a fortress.”
Once inside the fort it is safe. In contrast to the thick concrete walls, the architect used a lot of transparent glass there, such as in the workspace in the corner of the hall. “This is where the boxes for loans and paintings will be packed up.” This is quite exciting for Klaassen and her employees. “Everything is visible; the mess, the people, our way of working. ”
The heart
At the heart of the building is a meter-high space that evokes associations with Piranesi’s drawings. A long staircase leads criss-cross up the floors with the fifty safes. Around the staircase, thirteen enormous showcases have been made with steel in which works of art can be displayed. Pièce de résistance is the artificial lift: a moving shop window. In the atrium you can wander freely and watch how preselections for exhibitions are made in the gallery spaces. To access the air-conditioned lockers, you must book a guided tour. Only the color photo depot, where it is 3 ° C, and the central control room remain closed to the public.
The idea behind the mirror glass bowl was that the building would be an icon on the one hand, but “blend” into the Museum Park on the other. For the time being, the building stands out: the neighbor – the Erasmus Medical Center – objected to the reflective facades; it was feared that patients would become overstimulated. Part of the façade panels therefore got a matt layer, as if someone did not spread the silver polish properly. “A layer that can be removed if circumstances change in the future,” says Maas.
MVRDV added a forest on its own initiative on the roof. Klaassen thought it was a great idea: “We are taking away a piece of park, but also giving back space.” You do not have to buy a ticket (17.50 euros) for this, but you have to make a reservation (online). When asked whether you can have a picnic there, Maas responds enthusiastically. Klaassen looks dubious; her idea is that people buy coffee in the catering pavilion, so that the roof also makes money.
A little further on, Marko Sleeves of tree nursery Van Ebben inspects the 75 birch trees he planted in a thick layer of 80 centimeters of soil. He is “extremely happy with the blade occupation,” but is concerned about the bright light, which appears to contribute to “burn” of the blade. “Is it an option to also apply a matt foil to these facades?” He asks Maas. But he thinks that once the beach grass is fully grown and the extra conifers planted, the light will be less blinding.
This also applies to the ground level, where the same grass and tree species are found. The facades will reflect the greenery and as a result the building will “disappear” in its surroundings, says Sleeves. The light artwork that Pipilotti Rist designed for the outdoor space should complete the fairytale experience. Maas: “It will be a cross between Alice in Wonderland and the film Night at the Museum.”
