Architecture museums
NAi (Netherlands Architecture Institute)
The NAi is one of the main stops in Rotterdam when you are interested in architecture. It has five exhibition rooms about both historical and contemporary architecture. The building was designed by Jo Coenen and was finished in 1993. The different functions of the institute are placed into different parts of the building. You enter the building in a flat box which contains the public areas such as bookshop and the cafe. The tall glass unit above it houses the offices and study hall. The closed box of brown brick contains the exhibition spaces, and the archive is placed in a 200 meter long volume that is lifted up. The water around the building keeps these elements together in an architectural island. It’s also worthwhile to visit the NAi building at night to see the colored lighting below the banana shaped archive section.
Museumpark 25, open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm, entrance € 8.-
Sonneveld huis, 1933
The Sonneveld huis is the best preserved house inspired by the New Building philosophy (the Dutch branch of the International School of Modernism). It gives you a look at how a wealthy family would have lived in 1933 in a ultramodern house. Your ticket to the NAi will also allow admision to the Sonneveld huis.
Museumpark, open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm, entrance € 5.-
