Mediacenter in Hilversum by Neutelings Riedijk

In December of last year, a new building was opened in Hilversum: the Institute for Sound and Vision by Rotterdam architects Neutlings & Riedijk. The client is the private foundation Beeld en Geluid, which held an architectural competition for the construction worth 40 million Euros in 1999. The institute's purpose is a comprehensive audiovisual archive and a museum of radio and television. The building is divided into five underground floors, where the archives are located, and five above-ground floors serving as offices and exhibition spaces. For visitors, a so-called “Media Experience” has been prepared, which is a dark blue-painted box measuring 52 x 28 x 12 meters, inside of which are fifteen thematic pavilions where visitors can learn how a television studio works, for example. The most impressive interior space is a giant atrium that descends like a chasm to the lowest floors and rises as a pyramid to the highest floor. From the outside, the facade captivates with a design by video artist Jaap Drugsteen. Using colored powder on glass panels (looking like television screens), he captured hundreds of moments from the history of Dutch television broadcasting. Link>