Page 20 - Rotterdam. Make It Happen

‘Every building I design tells a story, of which you, as a visitor, are a part’. This is the sig- nature of Arjen Ketting. As an architect with the MVRDV bureau, he has led the project, for which Winy Maas was the architect, to build the almost 40 m. high art depot that opened its doors to the public on 6 November 2021. Standing on the roof of the Depot, Rotterdam resident Ketting explains the background to the building project: ‘Typically, museums exhi- bit only 6 to 7% of their total art collection. The remainder of the collection is often stored in cellars, entailing the risk of flooding. Sjarel Ex, the museum director of Boijmans Van Beu- ningen, wanted to make all of the museum’s col¬lection, including stored items totalling no fewer than 151,000 artworks, accessible to the public. He also cherished another wish, that the new art depot should not be a nonde- script bunker on an industrial estate.’ Having won the relevant competition, the MVRDV ar- chitect bureau was entrusted with the commis- sion to design the Depot in 2013.
GIVING BACK A GREEN LANDSCAPE.
Construction workers and other specialists from BAM Bouw & Techniek are currently finis- hing off the colossal mirrored building, which tapers out in the shape of a bowl in the Muse- umpark. The fact that the bowl shape provides
more space in the upper part than in the lower part has enabled a smaller footprint for the Depot, which tapers up from 40m at the base to 60m diameter at the top. This construction meant that the smallest possible part of the Museumpark had to be sacrificed for the buil- ding. Says Ketting: ‘An essential starting point for the design was to give back this lost part of the park to the residents of Rotterdam. We have realised this by displacing, as it were, a piece of the park to the roof of the Depot. The existing Robinias could not be moved to the roof, which is why these exotic trees, complete with their root balls, have been re-planted in a tree depot elsewhere in Rotterdam. They are actually better off there, because they were in fact drowning in the Museumpark’.
INDIGENOUS TREES.
So it is indigenous species such as birch, fir and grasses which now make up the ‘wood- land’ on the roof of the art depot. These are not in pots, but have their roots planted in a layer of soil. The trees were carefully prepa- red for years for this situation. ‘The tallest trees catch the strongest wind, and our country is well known for its strong winds. That’s why we have opted for multi-stemmed indigenous tree varieties which will be more stable and are also better suited to our climate. The trees
have also been undercut, which will favour ho- rizontal rather than vertical growth and enhan- ce their wind resistance. Unlike the Robinias, these indigenous trees and grasses we have planted will be beneficial to birds and insects, which means that they add ecological value, and this woodland roof features all of the be- nefits of an ‘ordinary’ green roof in terms of health and climate. The vegetation will help to control summer heat and filter the air, as well as retaining rain water which will be collected and used, among other things, to flush the toi- lets in the Depot’, says Ketting, revealing that as well as being an architect, he is also an expert on sustainability.
REFLECTING THE ROTTERDAM SKYLINE.
Walls of mirrored glass cover the outside of the Depot, so when looking up at the buil- ding, as well as seeing the roof garden you will see a reflection of the Rotterdam skyline, looking twice the size due to the mirror effect. The transparent safety screens around the roof also enable a great view of the city. ‘From a bird’s eye perspective we have made sure that the alignment and vegetation of the roof park match that of the park below’, says Ketting. Following the opening on the 6th of Novem- ber 2021, visitors will be able to go up to the roof themselves by means of a lift – even without an admission ticket after 17.00 hrs – to enjoy the green features and the view, as well as the restaurant and terrace.
TYPICALLY ROTTERDAM.
Says Ketting: ‘This would not have been pos- sible in any other city. In Rotterdam we sim- ply get on with it, and we find a way to deal with the new situation afterwards. That is what happened with the Markthal, which has totally changed the Hoogstraat and, as a result, the dynamics of the shopping district. Rotterdam residents simply adjust to the new situation and embrace it.
“WE ARE GIVING BACK THE LOST PART OF THE PARK TO THE RESIDENTS OF ROTTERDAM.”
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ROTTERDAM. MAKE IT HAPPEN.