Depot Boijmans van Beuningen – a lush rooftop forest on top of a museum by MTD landscape architects

Built in 2021 / 2025 Entries / 2025 Landscape and Architecture / 2025 Public Projects / Netherlands /
mtdls.nl

Introduction: A New Landmark in Museum Park
In the heart of Museum Park in Rotterdam, MTD landscape architects, in close collaboration with MVRDV, have designed a distinctive public space around and on top of the new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. As the first museum depot in the world to open its entire collection to the public, the Depot allows visitors to explore more than 151,000 works of art and observe the restoration and conservation process. The guiding principle behind the building is to maximize public access to art and offer a rich, immersive experience. The surrounding public square and rooftop landscape are integral to this vision, contributing to both the building’s openness and the city’s livability.

Concept, Identity, Experimentation: A Forest in the City
The landscape design seeks to give the Depot’s surroundings a unique identity through the concept of a green forest world. This forest theme extends from the forecourt up to the rooftop, situated 32 meters above ground, creating a unified and layered green experience. This integration ensures that the ground level and rooftop are perceived as one continuous and cohesive landscape — the square becomes the roof, and the roof becomes the square.

The living conditions for plants on top of the Depot are extremely challenging. The rooftop ecosystem must withstand wind gusts exceeding 130 kilometers per hour, salty air from the sea, heat stress, and drought. In addition to these environmental factors, there are significant technical challenges. The weight of the soil, plants, and trees must be carefully balanced with the load-bearing capacity of the building and the roof structure — a weight that increases when the soil is saturated by heavy rainfall.

Drainage and irrigation systems must function flawlessly to prevent root damage from excess groundwater or plant loss due to water shortage. In preparation, a selection of robust trees has been cultivated and trained over several years to thrive under rooftop conditions. Their roots have been guided to grow horizontally — like a flat hamburger — encouraging lateral rather than vertical growth.

In 2020, MTD landscape Architects and MVRDV received the Rooftop Award from the Rooftop Revolution foundation, as the Depot Rooftop Forest sets a new standard as ecological rooftop.

Design Elements: Shards and Vegetation
The design features a distinctive shard structure, which functions as planters, drainage elements, and wooden seating. These shards suggest that the Depot has “landed” naturally into the landscape. A selection of Pinus nigra, Betula pendula, and stinzen planting creates a rich, forest-like atmosphere — referred to as a ‘forest room’. This palette was chosen for its adaptability to both ground-level and rooftop climatic conditions, supporting a cohesive and sustainable ecosystem. On the forecourt, planting beds are raised to mitigate high groundwater levels, improving tree viability and creating varied elevation and scale.

Urban Integration and Public Use
The leafy square serves as an inviting public space, designed for small-scale events such as the Parade. Its green character and flexible programming make it an integral part of Rotterdam’s urban life, strengthening the connection between cultural experience and everyday public use.

Visual Impact and Experience
The Depot’s mirrored facade dramatically reflects its green surroundings, amplifying the sense of enclosure and intimacy on the forecourt. This creates a contemplative green space at ground level, fostering both rest and social interaction.

Meanwhile, the rooftop landscape — though publicly accessible in a limited capacity — offers a panoramic view of Museum Park and the Rotterdam skyline. Visitors can enjoy the scenery from the terrace and forest edge, gaining a new perspective on the city while immersed in nature.

• Other landscape architecture offices involved in the design of the landscape:
MTD landscape architects

• Architecture offices involved in the design:
MVRDV

• Other credits:
Photo credits: Ebben Trees (rooftop photos), Joep Jacobs