Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision

Situated in Media Park, the National Dutch Television Campus in Hilversum, the institute houses all the audiovisual material produced in the Netherlands since the early days of radio and television as well as non-fiction cinema. Since half of the programme is dedicated to the immense archives that require rigorous climatic conditions and minimum exposure to daylight, half of the building is below ground. The three elements that define the institute – the archives, a television museum and offices – are expressed as separate volumes enclosing a huge atrium from where visitors can look out over the five underground stories that contain the archives, as well as look up towards the museum and offices.

The building’s facade is covered by colourful stained-glass panels that depict famous images of Dutch television, a composition by graphic designer Jaap Drupsteen. Moreover, the double-glass skin acts as a passive climate facade, thus diminishing the overall energy demand of the building.