Harborfront: photography and coffee

As of February 7th, the National Museum of Photography in Rotterdam, with its collection of over 6.5 million images and objects, one of the largest international collections dedicated to the photographic medium, boasts a spectacular new home: the former Santos warehouse in the Rijnhaven port area of Katendrecht. Among the most significant examples of port archaeology in the Netherlands, in a city profoundly affected by World War II bombings, the imposing brick building was recognized as a national heritage site in 2000. It was constructed between 1901 and 1902 by architects J. P. Stok and J.J. Kanters for N.V. Blauwhoedenveem, intended to store coffee from the Brazilian city of Santos. With its open floor plans and heavily screened facades, allowing little natural light, it immediately proved ideal for the Fotomuseum’s collection, which comprises works and documents sensitive to sunlight.

Among its most precious assets are 175 archives, including that of Ed van der Elsken (1925-90), original daguerreotypes, and works by contemporary photographers like Erwin Olaf and Dana Lixenberg. The new museum also provides appropriate visibility to the ‘Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography,’ a permanent exhibition on the first floor that chronicles the evolution of the photographic medium in the Netherlands from 1842 to the present day. Spread across 7 floors, the museum offers exhibition spaces for permanent and temporary installations, climate-controlled ‘box-in-box’ storage facilities, conservation and restoration laboratories, a bookshop, and a specialized library, as well as educational workshops (located in the basement), a cafeteria, and a panoramic rooftop restaurant overlooking the harbor and the city’s futuristic skyline. Largely funded by the philanthropic foundation Droom en Daad, the new museum was designed by Rotterdam-based WDJArchitecten in collaboration with Renner Hainke Wirth Zirn Architekten from Hamburg and built by Burgy Bouwbedrijf of Leiden.

“‘The Santos warehouse is an exceptional example of functional architecture from the period when the Port of Rotterdam was in full development,’ state the WDJ designers. ‘The richly detailed facades, the technologically advanced load-bearing structure, the clear volumetric design, and the appropriate use of original materials are still almost completely intact. Inside, we have preserved the cast-iron columns and beams, so that the historic structure is now visible at a glance. Similarly, the old director’s office has been preserved.’

The main interventions are threefold. ‘We transformed the ground floor into a freely accessible ‘urban space’ equipped with a cafeteria, bookshop, library, and a ‘photography lounge’ intended for openings, debates, and events. On the roof, we added a new, sculptural and panoramic volume, clad in a perforated aluminum skin with variable density that makes it ‘float’ like a crown. This houses offices and the ZES restaurant on the lower level, and 16 short-stay apartments on the upper level. The heart of the transformation, however, is the new central void. Here, natural light and sightlines connect the existing monument and the new project, gradually revealing the museum’s world to the visitor.’ Great attention was paid to color schemes and materials. Anthracite grey was chosen for the new architectural elements, while the furnishings play between lavender and mint green. From a technical standpoint, the museum features an advanced temperature and light control system, including cold storage cells essential for the preservation of photographic material.”