ROTTERDAM, 10 September 2026 – Plans for the new Rotterdam Collection Centre (Collectiecentrum Rotterdam) have moved forward with the appointment of DP6 Architectuurstudio and Bruynzeel Storage Systems. The facility is expected to open around the beginning of 2031 and will bring together collections and expertise from seven Rotterdam heritage institutions in one shared research and storage environment.
Image: Artist’s impression of the new Rotterdam Collection Centre. Photo: DP6
Architects and storage partner appointed
Agreements with DP6 Architectuurstudio and Bruynzeel Storage Systems have now been signed. DP6 will develop the selected architectural design together with the Municipality of Rotterdam and the participating institutions, while Bruynzeel will be responsible for fitting out the collection storage areas.
The agreements were signed at De Rotterdam in the presence of representatives from the municipality, the selected partners and the heritage institutions involved in the project.
The architectural impressions show a low, brick building surrounded by substantially more greenery, with a prominent timber entrance structure. Inside, the design separates collection storage, workspaces and reception areas while introducing natural materials and daylight into the areas intended for staff, researchers and other visitors with appointments.
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The new collection centre is designed as a sustainable building with extensive use of timber and daylight. Image: DP6 Architectuurstudio and De Unie Architecten
Seven Rotterdam collections under one roof
The Rotterdam Collection Centre will be shared by Museum Rotterdam, Maritime Museum Rotterdam, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, Natural History Museum Rotterdam, Archaeology Rotterdam (BOOR), Nieuwe Instituut and the National Museum of World Cultures Foundation.
Bringing collections, facilities and specialist knowledge together is intended to create more opportunities for conservation, restoration, digitisation and scientific research. Researchers, students and communities connected to objects in the collections will also be able to participate more closely in research and knowledge development.
This will be a working collection and research centre rather than another conventional Rotterdam museum. It will not be freely accessible as a public museum or open storage facility. Research, educational and other specialist visits will take place by appointment.
From left: Patrick Aldena of Bruynzeel Storage Systems, Sander Witte of the Municipality of Rotterdam, architect Richelle de Jong of DP6 and Rogier André de la Porte, director of Existing City at the Municipality of Rotterdam. Photo: Bas Czerwinski
Wereldmuseum prepares for long-term collection care
For Wereldmuseum, the project will provide a new home for a collection comprising almost half a million objects, alongside photographs, documents and other heritage materials from different parts of the world.
Its holdings encompass cultural traditions, creativity and social change, as well as migration, trade, colonial relationships and shared histories. The collection also includes work and designs by contemporary artists.
“Collections are not possessions for Wereldmuseum, but a responsibility,” says general director Marieke van Bommel. “We want to preserve them carefully, continue researching them and pass them on to future generations, in connection with the people and communities whose stories are linked to these objects.”
The new centre is intended to provide appropriate conditions for collection managers, conservators, researchers and other specialists to work with this material over the long term.
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More space for research and communities
The project also aims to create greater opportunities for communities with historical or cultural connections to objects in the collections. Contact with heritage can play a role in recovering, interpreting and passing on knowledge and traditions, and the centre is intended to accommodate research, knowledge exchange and cultural or ritual practices.
“Rotterdam Collection Centre brings together more than collections alone, it also brings together the knowledge and expertise of seven heritage institutions,” Van Bommel says. “That creates new possibilities for research, conservation and collaboration.”
Further spatial, technical and museological decisions still need to be made as the design develops. The participating organisations will continue working with the municipality and project partners during that process.
Objects in the Wereldmuseum museum depot. Photo: Boudewijn Bollmann
Opening expected around 2031
The Rotterdam Collection Centre is expected to enter use around the beginning of 2031. Until then, the design will be developed further and the specialist requirements of the seven participating institutions incorporated into the building.
Rather than functioning as a new attraction, the centre will largely operate behind the scenes. Its role will be to preserve major parts of Rotterdam's cultural and historical collections while creating a shared base where specialists can research, conserve and work with them for decades to come.
