The wings of the architects Van der Steur and Bodon are part of Boijman’s international collection and both have been restored to their original strength. Over the years the museum has become a maze due to the many previous renovations, the entrance is difficult to find and members of the public with poor orientation get lost. The logistics of the back of house had a reputation for being problematic with overdue maintenance and a lot of asbestos in challenging places. Boijmans has no front and the Museum Garden in the Museum Park feels like it is positioned at the rear.
Mecanoo introduced a transparent passage, meandering organically between the buildings of Van der Steur and Bodon. A public passage from city to park and from park to city. Boijmans has been transformed from being an introvert to extrovert, from closed to open, from a castle to a museum, where inside and outside intertwine, therefore feeling natural and organic; contrasting with the harmonious composition with the entrance wings of Van der Steur and Bodon.
The passage starts on Museumparkstraat as a horizontal and transparent element. With a generous entrance and the museum shop on Museumparkstraat, the Mecanoo wing subsequently fans out into a multifunctional foyer on the Buitenhof site. It is the foyer for visitors headed to the exhibition spaces in the Bodon and Van der Steur wings, also giving access to the Buitenhof.
The Mecanoo passage creates a new Museum Park entrance with the introduction of a Park Pavilion in the current parking lot of the villas on the Westersingel. This Park Pavilion will have a partly double-height exhibition space. It is a new experience for visitors, from above you can experience art from the public passage without a ticket. This gives Museum Boijmans a diverse range of spaces in its total complex; round, oval, rectangular, organic with various heights and with different forms of daylight. With the new Mecanoo passage, there’s even the possibility of a sensory experience; artists can design temporary installations where a play with light, sound and even smell is possible. The Park Pavilion also houses the restaurant with a view over the Museum garden which is currently under metamorphosis.
Mecanoo's restoration vision listens to the logic of the building with optimal anchoring in the context. The ideas of Bodon and Van der Steur have been respected, restored and have been strengthened where possible. A number of surgical interventions were needed to make the museum accessible to all target groups and improve the logistics of the back of house. The daylight museum that the architects Van der Steur and Bodon aspired to create is undergoing a revival; Mecanoo is collaborating with BBM for the restoration.
The foundations and basements from the expansion of Robbrecht and Daem dated from 2003 were utilised. Research has shown that the building of Robbrecht & Daem was not only problematic from a spatial point of view, but also from a technical construction perspective. For these reasons, it was decided to renovate this part of the complex. This makes the Bodon and Van der Steur wings visible again, making walking routes clear and logical. A clear and inviting entrance to the city can be realised.
Research showed that the pavilion by the architect Hubert Jan Henket from 1991 was simple to disassemble. Along with the relocation of the Henket Pavilion, the beautiful sightlines with the Museum Garden and the restored G.J. de Jong monument, this also will make Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen easy to experience from the Museum Park; several beautiful locations are possible for the reuse of the Henket pavilion.
A good logistics network is essential for a museum with a top international collection. This network must function as a well-oiled machine and be entirely at the service of the museum. Mecanoo's vision enables a clear and safe approach route via the Westersingel, out of sight of the visitors. Via a central address for all logistics flows, a new logistics axis was made at the basement level of Bodon; the landscape design at ground level will be incorporated in such a way that the logistics intervention will go unnoticed.
The new Boijmans is a catalyst for a stronger connection and cooperation with the surrounding institutions in the Museum Park; Depot, Nieuwe Instituut, Kunsthal, Natural History, Chabot Museum and Arminius. Certainly also for the visitors, staff and students of the Erasmus Medical Center. Larger numbers of visitors and more joint activities and programming lead to more liveliness of the entire area.
For visitors, there is a clear distinction between Museum Garden and Museum Park. The Museum Garden is Boijmans' outdoor room. Inviting sightlines emerge from Boijmans to the other institutions. The Museum Garden is freely accessible to the public. The park-like, transparent and organic Mecanoo wing has an inviting appeal with the possibility of all kinds of cultural activities, in line with the formal and informal culture of the entire Museum Park.
The history of the Land of Hoboken, Witteveen, Van der Steur and Yves Brunier can be felt in the Museum Park. Mecanoo adds sustainable components; more water, more nature and more biodiversity. In a contemporary city park, users and visitors want to be able to move, relax, play and meet. There are facilities for this, such as a Park Pond with fountains, seating and play elements that connect the Museum Garden with the park. It was logical to connect the sculpture route of the Westersingel via a passage between the villas to the Museum Park; this has been a longstanding desire of Rotterdam urban planners, which has now become a beauty in reality.
With its Museumpark, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will become a place for people of Rotterdam and visitors to the city. A place where people of all generations and cultural backgrounds like to go, stay and relax; with the renewed Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen as a central player and in the role of connector.