The renovation and expansion project involved construction of a new, two-storey building called the Bath Tub, which has an area of around 9,000 square metres. The Bath Tub has been built on six points of support, which creates an illusion of hovering in the mid air. The hovering also allows the old building to be visible through the glass-encased ground floor.
The new Bath Tub, along with a restaurant and a shop, also accommodates around 3,400 square metres of exhibition space, which has been built in the basement of the building. The new building also features space for temporary exhibitions. The building is masked by a large canopy, which cuts through the new structure at the gutter height of the old building. The facade of the building features large steel trusses, which render a bathtub-like shape to the building.
The renovation was aimed at restoring the old glory of the building and bring back the original neo-renaissance design into life. The project has removed the non-original intermediate floors and connected the exhibition space.
The exhibition space in the basement is devoid of natural light, making it suitable for showcasing contemporary artwork. The building also features a new entrance. The renovation scheme has changed the orientation of the Stedelijk Museum to face the Museum Square, and connect it to the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum and the Concert Hall.
Arup Architects had provided the structural design and the lighting design. The lighting design was to maintain maximum possible natural light inside the facility, in the light of art conservation constraints.
The collection of Stedelijk museum consists of a large array of modern contemporary art and design of around 90,000 objects dating from 19th century to the present.
