• COLLABORATION: Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos

The building of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was designed in the late nineteenth century by Dutch architect Pieter Cuypers. The building program was twofold: firstly it was a national museum, and secondly, the gateway to the south of Amsterdam.

The building’s special use demanded a high price for its urban role as a connecting element between the then existing city-north and new developments to the south. There is a passage, almost a street, through the building from north to south, dividing it into two parts. This forces the museum to have two entries, both to the north, each with their own staircase. The building is divided by the passage from north to south, and the east and west are connected with a tunnel underneath the passage.

• DATE: 2013
• CLIENT: Programmadirectie Het Nieuwe Rijksmuseum
• STATE: Finished
• LOCATION: Ámsterdam, Holland