Dutch Collection Center

The Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands Open Air Museum, the National Service for Cultural Heritage and the Paleis Het Loo Museum want a common and sustainable art depot: the Dutch Collection Center (CCNL). The current depots are now spread over various locations and no longer meet the contemporary requirements for collection management. The joint new construction realizes sustainable management and preservation of the government collections, efficiency, knowledge sharing and accessibility.

675,000 Objects will come together in the CCNL, ranging from paintings, crafts and furniture to jewelry, clothing and carts. In addition to optimal management and preservation of the national collections, the CCNL must stimulate mobility between the collections. Colleague museums are welcome for loans. The CCNL will also be a study center for researchers and students. The building is not open to the general public.

For the architect selection, LIAG presented a robust, opaque building with a golden arch as the entrance.

Innovative façade

The Rijksmuseum requested that the depot uses as little energy as possible, while at the same time taking into account the strict requirements for the indoor climate, with a very narrow bandwidth in the conditioned rooms. In our design this is partly achieved with an innovative, energy-generating façade system.

The façade of the storage depot consists of metal cassettes that are oriented in different ways. This creates a lively façade image and daylight is reflected so that the building constantly changes its appearance. In addition, the amount of light that shines through can be controlled. The temperature is regulated by an insulated ‘skin’ and energy is stored in the soil. In this way the building can deliver a total of approx. 1.3 kWh.

Golden entrance

The most important feature of the building is the golden entrance arch. This provides an open and inviting appearance. Moreover, this opening also provides access to the nearby station. The interior is laid out openly and efficiently; on each of the three floors there is a wide corridor from which every storage space is accessible.