AMSTERDAM.- Four Dutch cultural institutions are joining forces to build a new depository for the national collections under their management. The new Netherlands Collection Centre (CC NL) will be built in Amersfoort, in the heart of the Netherlands. With a total surface area of 30,000 m2, the building will house 675,000 objects. CC NL is scheduled to be brought into use from 2020.

CC NL is to replace the current depositories belonging to the Dutch Open Air Museum, Paleis Het Loo museum, the Rijksmuseum and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands which are currently spread over various locations in the Netherlands. The collaboration provides the best possible sustainable management and preservation of the national collections, as well as efficiency and sharing of know-how.

Taco Dibbits, Director of Collections of the Rijksmuseum, on behalf of the CC NL partners: The building will be the physical memory of the Netherlands, from the everyday culture of the Dutch Open Air Museum to the ‘official’ culture of the Rijksmuseum and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, to the royal culture of Paleis Het Loo museum.

The collaborating institutions have selected a design team consisting of Delft-based architects’ firm cepezed and consultancies ABT, Valstar Simonis and Peutz. Cepezed designs include the Eye Collection Centre in Amsterdam and DSM Biotechnology Center in Delft.

Jan Pesman, architects’ firm cepezed: We are really looking forward to designing the Netherlands’ ‘treasure trove’. The CC NL will be a high-quality, functional and sustainable building combining an energy-efficient art depository with an inspiring work environment for management and preservation of the national collection.