The Treasury

In the Treasury 100 highlights are on display from the collection of Het Nieuwe Instituut. Works include designs by the icons of Dutch architectural history such as Cuypers, Dudok, Rietveld, Berlage and Koolhaas.

The Treasury is divided into six thematic clusters that refer to the Dutch architectural tradition. One of those typical Dutch traditions is social housing. The unique cooperation between government, private housing corporations and architects repeatedly led to new and unexpected solutions, such as the housing blocks by De Klerk, that meant the breakthrough of the Amsterdam School movement. Another tradition is the experimental urge of Dutch architects that has led time and again to innovations in the architecture of the last two hundred years. The Maison Particuliere by Theo van Doesburg and C. van Eesteren is a distinctive example of those experiments.

The Treasury is designed by Rem Koolhaas’ office OMA. A 250m2 space is created in the depths of the catacombs which only gradually reveals its content. De diversity of materials and designs converges in the heart of glass, with an abundance of scale models, drawings, sketches and photographs from the collection.