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About Bruynzeel
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Highlights
Amersfoort, The Netherlands
CollectieCentrum Nederland
CollectieCentrum Nederland (CC NL) brings an important part of the Netherlands’ cultural heritage together under one roof. The facility is shared by the Netherlands Open Air Museum, Paleis Het Loo, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and the Rijksmuseum.
Previously, the collections of these four organisations were spread across fourteen different locations. Today, more than half a million objects are stored centrally at CC NL. This makes caring for the collections more manageable and efficient, while creating possibilities that were much harder to achieve across separate storage locations.
From Millimetres to Metres
The collection contains objects of vastly different sizes. Some measure only a few millimetres, including jewellery and objects made of gold. Others are monumental, including an organ measuring 8.5 metres long and almost 5.5 metres high.
Even within a single collection, the differences can be considerable. Musical instruments, for example, range from a piccolo to a huge organ. This diversity requires storage solutions that closely match the dimensions and characteristics of each object.
The Right Solution for
Every Object
To accommodate this variety, different storage systems were combined. Standard shelving
provides space for many smaller and mediumsized objects, wide-span shelving is suited to
larger pieces, and cantilever shelving is used for long objects.
More specialised solutions were also installed, including roll storage for rolled textiles and racks for paintings. By combining different storage systems within the same facility, each collection can be stored appropriately while making efficient use of the available space.
We didn’t want a supplier who simply delivers a product, but a partner we could discuss the challenge with and work together with to find the right solution.
Sustainability as a Starting Point
Sustainability played an important role from the earliest stages of the building’s design. The roof is fitted with 3,600 square metres of solar panels, with plans to expand this area further in the future.
CC NL was also designed as a passive storage facility. The solid construction of the building
helps maintain a stable indoor climate by itself, meaning that only limited active climate control is needed to keep conditions stable.
A Schedule Where Everything Had to Align
For Bruynzeel, the strict schedule was one of the biggest challenges. When installation began, the dates for moving the collection into the new facility had already been fixed. The relocation took place floor by floor.
Once the collection arrived on a floor, installation work could no longer continue there due to insurance requirements and internal processes. Each floor therefore had to be completely finished before the objects arrived. This required careful coordination between installation, logistics and relocation.
What I’m most proud of is how much of what we once sketched out
on a notepad can now be seen in the building as it stands today.
More Than a Supplier
Previous positive experiences with Bruynzeel and the company’s ability to operate at the required scale played an important role in its selection. Just as important was the desire to work with a partner that could actively contribute ideas about the specific challenges of the
project.
The collaboration went beyond supplying storage systems. By staying in close dialogue throughout the project, ideas and practical solutions could be developed together. For Bruynzeel, it was a privilege to help equip one of the largest storage facilities in Europe
and to complete the project within the required timeframe and to the client’s satisfaction.
Many of the ideas that emerged during the early stages of the project can now be seen in the building as it stands today. The final result reflects much of what was originally discussed and sketched at the start of the project.
