DEPOT: A CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

In times of environmental crisis involving the whole world, not changing only implies the worst. What’s important is that the reality around us is progressive, which is why art is a manifestation that is activated together with great changes. Referring to it as a depot is reductive, seeing that it reflects all the values of a container filled with art and culture, and characterized by a contemporary and avant-garde code. We’re talking about that building shaped like a completely reflecting vase that features a beautiful garden at the top. It is osmotic, divided by panels that immerse all the colors that approach them. Osmosis that is linked to the preservation and the movement of every work. Panels that fluctuate revealing a comparison between the various works. An exhibition design that has always been different, geometric, essential, and labyrinthine. A veritable depot that helps us to think about how art can arouse reflection and admiration.

These are the key figures of Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen: the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility based in Rotterdam. Opened one year ago, the museum is the first building in the world to make a museum’s entire collection public at the same time providing behind-the-scenes glimpses of how a museum works. On average, museums only show six to seven per cent of their collections to the public. The rest is often off-site and hidden from view, tucked away in closed depots. The new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is bucking this trend, making the entire collection – approximately 151,000 artefacts – available for viewing. The collection is not stored according to historical periods or artistic movements, but rather to climatic requirements. Each storage space is provided with a climate control system. There are five different climate zones, suited to works of art produced using different materials: metal, plastic, organic/inorganic, and photography. Photography, for example, is kept at refrigerator temperature. A design that is as visionary as it is tangible, that almost foreshadows time. The project, which is the work of the architectural firm MVRDV, goes beyond the architectural confines, creating what may appear to many to be an impossible dream: more innovation and sustainability. The Depot has an unusual circular form and a striking mirrored facade containing 6,609 m2 of glass, divided into 1,664 mirrored panels. A number of different types of glass were used, including standard reflective glass, reflective glass with a film coating, transparent glass for workspaces, and a type of gradient glass that goes from mirror to fully transparent for the entrances and the roof, so that visitors can enjoy the long views from inside. As a result, the building almost disappears as it reflects its green surroundings. The park in which it stands is echoed in the roof garden planted with birch and pine trees. In aerial views of the Depot, the greenery of the roof garden blends in with the trees in the park. Other creatives were invited to contribute to the project as well, such as the artist John Körmeling, the Amsterdam-based design firm Concrete, and the artist and photographer Marieke van Diemen.

Sustainability is one of the key features in the design, as discussed with Arjen Ketting, senior associate at MVRDV.

MT: “What distinguishes the innovative spirit of MVRDV?”

AK: “The philosophy of the MVRDV practice is developed around the idea of designing greener, more inclusive social cities and urban landscapes. MVRDV’s goal is to realize 100% sustainable buildings. We aim to explore the most innovative solutions to make our environment and cities as green, durable, and livable as possible. From this point of view, sustainability is closely connected to the concept of urban densification, i.e. the use that is made of the earth’s surface to prevent the uncontrolled expansion of cities from compromising the quality of the environment.”

MT: Can you please describe the key elements that characterized the sustainability of Depot?”

AK: “Regarding Depot, the building includes many features to reduce the use of energy, carbon footprint, and water during its operation: a combination of geothermal heat exchange, solar panels, LED lighting, and high-performance insulation makes the building energy neutral with regards to building-related energy consumption. Rainwater is stored in the basement and used for irrigation and toilet facilities, reducing the building’s water consumption. This water storage, combined with the green roofs, makes water run-off minimal, with any remaining run-off converted into a water basin for the surroundings.”

MT: A crucial element of the storage is the temperature in the various sections. Has it been difficult to find an alignment between the technical need for climate conditions inside the building, the need for design and sustainability at the same time?

AK: We built this building in a park, and from the very beginning we tried to create an interaction with the environment with lots of emotions for visitors and people going to the park. The idea was to try to be as much a part of the park as possible, in order to determine a completely different way of experiencing a museum, both inside and out. That’s why we used different types of reflective glass throughout the structure. In addition to that, the main structure of the building was made of concrete, which is a very energy-intensive material to produce. But using this material was a very conscious choice, since the facade – made with concrete layers – completely preserves any shift in temperature: if the weather outside changes, the concrete is a material that is capable of shielding the climate inside. This is a crucial element for the preservation of artworks.

MT: Currently, there are still very few projects like Depot around the world. Do you see a potential development in the near future for the purpose of making hidden artworks visible to public?

AK: Correct. So far there are still few examples of this kind of building: there is one similar in London, one in Belgium. But generally speaking, there is an undisputable trend in donations and also in the involvement of private institutions in the arts and cultural activities. Therefore if I had to make a prediction, I would imagine lots of new “Wunderkammers” like Depot appearing in the next decade.