Scheepvaart Museum

When the nautical warehouse opened in 1654, the building was used as a warehouse for the Dutch Admiralty. Cannons, sails, flags and ship equipment for the Dutch war fleet was stored. For the water supply of the ships, rainwater was collected in the 40,000 liters curved barrel underneath the courtyard. Until the 1970s, the building continued to function as a navy warehouse. It was until 1972 the warehouse was converted into a Maritime Museum. And on 13 April 1973 Princess Beatrix opened the museum. In 2004, the museum closed for a 4-year renovation. The vaults under the courtyard were opened and used to house the museum’s washrooms. Because the building is a national monument and the walls of the barrels are curved it was quite a challenge to design a washbasin to fit the space. Various freestanding washbasins were designed that could placed free from the beautiful curved walls. If you plan to visit the museum, and have to go to the washroom, realize where the spaces were used for, before.