The Rotterdam Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has been closed for six years. In 2019, the museum had to close abruptly by order of the fire brigade, after years of overdue maintenance. In addition to the risk of fire, the museum also suffered from flooding, and it had already been determined in 2006 that asbestos had to be removed, including from the climate system. The museum’s frustration with the Municipality of Rotterdam, owner of the building, was high at the time. Sjarel Ex, director of Boijmans at the time, stated that he had sent 250 letters “about the worrying condition of the building” to the municipality in the period from his appointment in 2004 to 2018. In December 2018, the Rotterdam city council agreed to a renovation plan worth 223.5 million euros. The municipality owns the building and a large part of the collection. The intention was to reopen the renovated doors in 2026.
That turned out differently. The period after the approval of the renovation plan was marked by conflicts. The renovation turned out to be more expensive, there was a fraud and corruption scandal surrounding the asbestos removal and mutual relations soured to such an extent, especially after criticism from the museum of an earlier design, that museum director Sjarel Ex was only allowed to communicate with architect Francine Houben of the Mecanoo architectural firm via a ‘contact official’. The renovation reached an impasse. The reopening was postponed to 2028, then to 2030. In 2021, the new, publicly accessible Boijmans Depot, designed by architectural firm MVRDV, opened, but otherwise it remained eerily quiet and the doors of the museum remained closed.
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Final design
How different is the atmosphere on Thursday, October 30, in a room at the top of the Depot, which overlooks the Rotterdam museum park. In particular, councilor for culture Said Kasmi (D66) is walking through the room, although that may also have something to do with the election results. The atmosphere among the others is also cheerful. There doesn’t seem to be any friction anymore. Architect Francine Houben, museum director Ina Klaassen and councilors Kasmi and Robert Simons (real estate) stand beaming around a model.
a further elaboration of an earlier plan presented in 2024. The final design includes further elaboration of the results of a restoration study and the use of materials. The plan presented on Thursday will be discussed in the Rotterdam city council in early December.
Everyone can have a word on Thursday, everyone is positive.
Architect Francine Houben (Mecanoo) takes those present through the design. “Sometimes people think we were sitting still,” she says. “That is not the case. 99 percent of all asbestos has now been removed from the building. I do not know of any building that contained so much asbestos.”
Model of the new Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Photo Cort Widlowski
New outbuilding for talent
The plan revolves around five principles: a hospitable entrance, better logistics, improved routing, greater ties with the city and the museum park. The three monuments that make up the museum, built in different periods by architects Van der Steur, Bodon and Henket, will also be restored to their former glory, with an addition from Mecanoo architects: a new building for emerging talent. The Robbrecht & Daem wing will largely be demolished. This previously met with resistance, but that conflict has also now been ironed out.
A special feature of the plans is that a considerable part of the museum will be accessible free of charge. In addition to the new building for young talent, the outdoor courtyard, a kind of “open-air exhibition space”, will also be freely accessible. Only when people descend the stairs and enter the new entrance should entrance tickets or Museum Cards be produced.
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Buitenhof Plaza
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Aerial
What is also special: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is a ‘daylight’ museum. In each wing, daylight comes from above, from the side and through a special ‘plinth’. Houben: “We really wanted to empower Bodon and Van der Steur.” This is done by restoring rooms to their former glory and dealing intelligently with the many height differences in the buildings. “That was a huge task,” says Houben. There will also be an enormous canopy over the Binnenhof of the Van der Steur building, inspired by the pattern of a smaller window in the building.
It is finally a plan that the museum, architect and municipality are happy with. The Rotterdam city council must still agree to it on December 4. But Kasmi – who recently had to deal not only with a closed Boijmans, but also with Museum Rotterdam, which has been closed for five years, and the problems surrounding the Nederlands Fotomuseum – is optimistic: “The biggest hurdle was the budget and we have already taken it. I have every confidence in it.”
This also applies to museum director Klaassen: “Because of the construction of the Depot, I know that there will probably be bumps during the renovation, but I have gotten used to something now. I will just keep going.” Francine Houben looks at the model, over which a protective cover is placed. „It was a journey,” she says, “but that’s okay.”
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