24-10-2003
Four distinct building forms, clad in wood, glass, brick, steel or concrete, house the functions of the Institute: the central administration hall, exhibition space, lecture hall and library/research centre. Located at the edge of the Museum Park, the complex provides a public route through the central hall and along the arcade beneath the curved archive wing on one of Rotterdam’s major traffic arteries, integrating the complex into the urban fabric. Bridging elements and the orchestration of transparent and opaque surfaces are used to resolve points of material intersection and provide visual connections among the interior spaces as well as to the outside. The atmosphere created is open and casual, inviting the public to participate in the design discourse.