The Netherlands Fotomuseum opens; we paid a go to

The new site comprises a period structure, known as the Santos warehouse, built between 1901 and 1902. It was originally designed by Rotterdam architects JP Stok Wzn and JJ Kanters, and served as storage for the Brazilian coffee trade. It was acquired, as a donation, by the Fotomuseum in 2023.

Working with the existing warehouse fabric was challenging for the renovating architects, as they were only allowed to implement light alterations due to the building’s heritage status. The team addressed the issue of circulation and natural light in a building that was not made to consider either, particularly, by cutting a void through the structure’s heart. This opening unites the different floors and becomes the heart of the building – its main circulation core as well as a light well.

Architect Sander Nelissen of WDJArchitecten explains: ‘Going up, the void and stairs move and break the strict organisation of the building. The beautiful beam structure is on display. We had to take into account the city policy that says we needed to reuse what we demolish.’

Meanwhile, to avoid touching the existing fabric too much and to respond to the demands of creating highly controlled areas for storage and restoration of artworks, the architects worked with a ‘box within a box’ concept. Nelissen says: ‘This, and separation from the general area, manages sensitive pieces that need special climate control.’

The archive depot and restoration ateliers are indeed given a rare spotlight (although Rotterdam has been pioneering in this realm, with the Boijmans Depot nearby too), with large glazed openings offering views in for visitors to enjoy previously unseen areas, such as the restoration labs. This occupies two entire floors in the museum, which spans eight public levels in total, including the ground floor with its shop, library, café and event areas, offices, three floors of permanent and temporary exhibitions, and the two archive ones (levels four and five). The restaurant sits at the top of this sequence, offering long views of Rotterdam, its river and the new port in the distance.

The Fotomuseum opens with a permanent display on Dutch photography and a show dedicated to the city of Rotterdam, as well as two temporary exhibitions. The institution’s collection is broad and diverse, and many of its treasures have never been seen by the public. This, the museum team vows, is about to change.

‘We want to show that photography is not just images on a wall but heritage,’ explains Martijn van den Broek, head of collections. He highlights how rare it is for a museum to plan its depot at its heart in this way, as well as include its art storage among its main exhibitions.

The museum has been designed in a way that allows visitors – and the displays – to breathe, offering flexibility to the curators as they plan their shows. There are large/expanded and small/compressed spaces; ‘hidden’ seating corners to be discovered; and nooks that invite a break to rest. Both the building design itself and the exhibition set-ups within it give agency to the visitor, offering different routes and choices.

This makes what could have been a stiff and unwieldy warehouse structure relatively light and transparent, but also unexpected and quirky – and all this without losing its utilitarian character: a heavy-duty old port’s working building, now refreshed and embracing its city’s character with zest, reimagined as a cultural destination.

The Netherlands Fotomuseum opens on 7 February 2026, Brede Hilledijk 95, 3072 KD Rotterdam, Netherlands