The new art depot of the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, also known as the Depot, was opened by King Willem Alexander on 5 November 2021. The 40-meter high mirror glass 'pot', which the architectural firm MVRDV has landed in the Rotterdam Museum Park – costs: 91 million euros – is an eye-catcher in several respects: an icon, a building that offers a new perspective on art and art collecting, and at the same time provides a spectacular image of the Rotterdam skyline, which is reflected in the facades in a distorted way.
The collection building is the world's first publicly accessible art depot with art objects, exhibition spaces, a sculpture garden and last but not least a restaurant and roof forest.
MTD landscape architects signed in collaboration with MVRDV for the design of the rooftop forest and the integration of the Depot in the Museum Park.
In order to spare the park as much as possible, MVRDV opted for the smallest possible footprint for the building and a compact round volume, covered with a mirrored glass facade that reflects the environment. The birches, pines and grasses on the roof give the iconic building a green crown and 'give back' the green surface it occupies to the city. The catering industry and the roof terrace give shape to a leafy place to stay on the roof, from which the metropolitan skyline of Rotterdam can be read.
On the ground level, a square-like space has been created with birches, pinus and grasses, which are reflected in the facade of the Depot. The natural stone pavement here seems to break open into a number of 'shards'. They are designed as raised planters with natural stone seating edges and wooden benches in which the trees are planted. This creates a sheltered and green place to stay and meet in the center of the city. The people determine the reflection in the walls of the building and the dynamics on the square. Rotterdam has gained a special building and public space!