The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen has been awarded the Futureglass Prize by the jury at the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon, Portugal. The prize recognises the project that “best demonstrates new ways in which glass and glass technology has been deployed”.

As the world’s first fully accessible art storage facility, the reflective round volume of the depot responds to its surroundings in Rotterdam’s Museumpark. Its bowl-like shape means that the ground-level footprint is small – maintaining views into and routes through the Museumpark – while the roof is as expansive as possible.

The mirrored façade ensures that the building visually blends into its surroundings, reflecting and thus honouring the activity and the nature of the Museumpark, designed by landscape architect Yves Brunier with OMA in the nineties. The façade consists of 6,609 square metres of glass divided into 1,664 laminated glass panels, which were specially made to be both double-curved and mirrored, a challenging manufacturing feat. These panels were adopted by many inhabitants and cultural institutions of Rotterdam for 1,000 euros each as a gesture of support for the Depot.

The result is that every day – depending on weather conditions – the depot looks different, like a living painting. For visitors to the Museumpark, the depot displays a reflection of Rotterdam's skyline, a celebration of the city it calls home.

Read more about the design of the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen here.