
cultural beacons
culture
Cultural buildings shape our cities. From museums to theatres to clubs, these spaces are what make urban life worth living. We make cultural buildings as remarkable, diverse, and exciting as the activities they contain. Cultural buildings are customised for different cultural needs and different institutions; they are beacons for culture that intrigue, delight, and engage both visitors and passers-by. We create cultural buildings that speak to people of all backgrounds not only to enrich those people’s lives, but also to support and actively improve the culture inside.

With the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, we created a world-first, the first fully accessible art depot that will allow the public to see behind the scenes of the museum and take a look at its full collection of 151,000 artworks. The building is not only ground-breaking in terms of its use, as its bowl-like shape, mirrored façade, and rooftop park make it a truly good neighbour, celebrating the city of Rotterdam and its site in the Museumpark. During the daytime it’s a machine for the museum; at night, the building becomes a sculptural work of art in its own right, reflecting a light-based Pipilotti Rist artwork custom-made to enhance the unique qualities of the depot.
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The Ku.Be House of Culture and Movement in Copenhagen blends culture, health, leisure, and education in a wondrous series of colourful volumes. With its climbing frames and slides, this unique neighbourhood amenity is a favourite of local children and their parents, giving them a place to play while they learn and create – in other words, it’s serious fun. Nearby in Roskilde, the Ragnarock museum is an embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll. With a red carpet and an outlandish gold-studded cantilever that exudes star-level swagger, it invites everyone inside to its guitar case-inspired red velvet interior.

In Eindhoven, our design of the new club building of De Effenaar does not turn its back on the rough-and-ready charms of its predecessor, but incorporates them into a form that acknowledges the institutionalised nature of the modern music industry. The central performance space, surrounded by the building’s other programmatic elements, along with the external staircases and heavy-duty internal details, make for a building that is both exciting to visit and tailor-made for its function.
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The moment we are invited to partner with an institution to create their new home, we fully immerse ourselves in the raison d’etre of the building. We analyse how to take full advantage of the enormous opportunity that a new building offers: to improve the mission of the institution, to make it work even better, to move towards sustainability and inclusivity, and to create a spatial translation of the very essence of the institution. Since 1993 we have created cultural buildings that instil maximum happiness in their users and the people that maintain and cherish the public, cultural ideal.
Experience Culture
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
The Imprint
Tianjin Binhai Library
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
Ragnarock
Ku.Be House of Culture and Movement
Nanjing Arts Zone
Glass Farm
Book Mountain
Matsudai Centre
De Effenaar
The Pyramid of Tirana
Magasin 113
Zhangjiang Future Park
Buitenplaats Koningsweg
Rockmagneten
Xili Sports and Cultural Centre
Jaarbeurs Utrecht
Shenzhen Cultural District
Schielandshuis
New Holland Island
Mainau 2040
National Pulse Memorial and Museum
Theater aan de Parade - Lantern
Taoyuan Museum of Art
Cultural Cluster Zaanstad
Theater aan de Parade
Doha Viewing Tower
Yenikapi Archaeo Park
Dierenpark theatre
The Water Cube
Museum Bergen
Mirador Palmeral
Gwanggyo Power Centre
Seoul Fashion Valleys
Philharmonie de Paris
Music Quarter
Busan City Sofa
Musee Pinault
Brabant Library
Oslo Opera
Architecture Speaks: The Language of MVRDV
BredaPhoto Festival
Marmomacc RevealRox
Design Society Shenzhen
Hola Holanda
Vertical Village IBA
Vertical Village Seoul
Dutch Design Week: The Future City is Wonderful
20 Years of MVRDV
Freeland @ the Biennale
Vertical Village Taipei
Bi-City Biennale 2017
MVRDV Haus Berlin
Porous City Lego Towers
The Hungry Box
China Comic & Animation Museum
Vertical Village
Glass Museum
Taipei Performing Arts Centre
Chengdu Centre for the Arts
Boijmans Art Depot
Cleveland Institute of Art
Serpentine Pavilion
Eyebeam Institute
#UPDATES
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Final mirrored panels installed on the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen completes construction in preparation for museum’s big move

MVRDV celebrates opening of its Berlin office with MVRDV Haus Berlin exhibition

With construction almost complete, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen prepares for preview opening in September

Arjen Ketting as guest speaker in a online edition of the ‘Boijmans in Donner program series’

Tree planting begins on the roof of MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

National Pulse Memorial and Museum

MVRDV on the World Architecture TOP 100 list

Jan Knikker on transformations in architecture and urbanism at Tel Aviv University
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Three MVRDV Projects Named as Winners in the 2020 German Design Awards

Gideon Maasland at Rotterdam Vastgoed 2019

Winy Maas presenting Art Depot Boijmans in Paris

Winy Maas at The Monocle Cities Series, Chengdu

Marco Gazzola at RigenerAZIONE - Architettura Raccontata, Pisa
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Arjen Ketting speaking at Architecture Faculty Brno, CZ

Nathalie de Vries: Architecture Speaks – The Language of MVRDV

MVRDV’s Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the World’s First Publicly Accessible Art Depot, Tops Out in Rotterdam

Marta Pozo lecturing at The University of Hong Kong

Ronald Hoogeveen about Brutalist Monuments at University POLIS Tirana

Hui Hsin Liao speaking at SHARE Conference in Skopje
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MVRDV has been selected for the new design of Theater aan de Parade

MVRDV completes The Imprint at Paradise City, a white-and-gold art-entertainment complex in Incheon

Temporary pavilion by MVRDV opens for BredaPhoto Festival 2018
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MVRDV's Tianjin Binhai Library and Seoullo 7017 Skygarden featured in The TIME Magazine's list of top 100 World's Greatest Places 2018

Tianjin Binhai Library announced as Surface Travel Award 2018 Finalist

Tianjin Library wins Land Rover BORN Awards 2018

Download the first issue of Depot Journal

Tianjin Binhai Library and Seoul Skygarden among finalists for ArchDaily’s Building of the Year 2018

Ragnarock nominated for the RENOVER Prize 2018

MVRDV and The Why Factory participate in the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Shenzhen) 2017

Book Mountain Turns Five
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Ragnarock wins German Design Award 2018
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MVRDV wins competition for Zhangjiang Future Park

Ragnarock one of the world's best museums

MVRDV Marble Mountain design for RevealRox at Marmomac 2017 fair
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MVRDV reveals designs for Magasin 113 Gothenburg

Construction progresses on Art Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
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Ku.Be House of Culture and Movement shortlisted as World Architecture Festival 2017 Finalist
