Stedelijk Architecture

Grand celebrations marked the reopening of Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum in September 2012, following a renovation that took eight years. The impressive and controversial new wing, designed by Benthem Crouwel Architekten and popularly known as the bathtub, anchors the legendary museum firmly in the twenty-first century, allowing much more room for its famed collection of modern and contemporary art and design. Published for the occasion, Stedelijk Architecture examines the renovation, in photographs by the internationally renowned architecture photographer Iwan Baan, plus floor plans, cross sections and details of the new structure. Architecture critic Hans Ibelings relates the museum’s history from the 1895 inauguration of the original building (designed by architect Adriaan Weissman) to the completion of the controversial extension, and architect Mels Crouwel discusses the building in an interview.