English
World’s first publicly accessible art depot is being built in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Designed by MVRDV architecture Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen set to open in the September 2021. Besides the iconic mirrored façade which is made up of 6,609 m2 of glass, one of the most striking features of the project is the tree topped “roof garden” among birches located at a height of 35 meters.
The iconic reflective façade of the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen project, designed by MVRDV, located inside the Museum park in the center of Rotterdam, is the revelation of the museum’s intention of opening the collection to public and reveal the backstage of the art scene. This place is set to become the world’s first art storage that is fully open to public access.
The rounded form of the building consisting of a reflective surface, is made to make the artworks visible. This way, also the protection and maintenance processes are intended to be publicly accessible. Another crucial element of depot’s design is its ‘roof garden’. Located on the 6th floor of the building, the area is one of the examples of the roof gardens that have become one of the delightful and privileged elements of urban living recently. The garden, which hosts 75 multi-stemmed birch trees that have been planted in a private garden 3 years ago, on the other hand contains systems supporting the energy and water use of the building in an environmental way.