'Rotterdam is the city that continually reinvents itself.’
Bas Kurvers, Lead City Councillor for Construction, Housing
and Built Environment Energy Transition.
'The depot is part of Rotterdam’s skyline.’
Interview with Bas Kurvers. Lead City Councillor for Construction, Housing and Built Environment Energy Transition.
I come from South Rotterdam. I visited Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen once on a school trip, but never after that. Now, though, I know we have a really magnificent collection there. And ‘construction’ is part of my brief as a lead city councillor, so I’m responsible for the depot’s construction. The building where it will soon be possible to see the entire collection!
Rotterdam is a construction hotspot. Why is this? Not just because of the war, surely?
Rotterdam is never finished and that makes it a real construction hotspot. Rotterdam is the city that continually reinvents itself. A city that people head for to grow and develop. You can say that the war accelerated this process, but it was already in Rotterdam’s DNA. As lead city councillor for construction, it goes without saying that I have a wonderful portfolio. I provide the people of Rotterdam with a new skyline. And if there’s one thing they’re proud of, it’s that skyline. And the new depot will soon be part of it.
It’s not just about construction; you have to be able to live in a city…
That’s right. You build the city for people. They must be able to enjoy life in an environment where they feel safe. And if you achieve that, you contribute to solidarity. Residents then start doing things like volunteering, going out and enjoying art and culture. That brings us to a strategic theme, which is the city’s growth. For the first time in years we see that Rotterdam is once again in demand. This means, among other things, that you have to look closely at the cultural side of the city.
There’s nothing wrong with Rotterdam’s cultural life, or is there?
We’ve got so many fine things in our city, but a characteristic of your real Rotterdammers is that they don’t often take advantage of their cultural amenities. I would like the culture sector to make greater efforts to engage with people and invite them to participate. In this way culture can be a cornerstone of a fine living environment, which I referred to earlier. The advantage of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s magnificent collection is that people from outside Rotterdam travel to see it, but you also have to ensure the collection reaches out to local residents.
What role does the city council have in the depot?
Let me say up front that Rotterdam has a rich tradition of facilitating ‘culture and art’, not only using city council resources but also with help from private individuals. It is for good reason that Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is named after the two most important private collectors. I believe that to this day, ambitious projects like the depot would not be possible without the support of private partners such as Stichting De Verre Bergen. I want to take this opportunity to explicitly express my appreciation. That said, I now come to the city council’s role. On the one hand there’s the culture programme to be monitored, which is the responsibility of my fellow lead councillor Said Kasmi. As regards the actual construction of the depot, the city council opted for an ambitious plan. Now it’s up to me to make it a success.
People can be sceptical about prestigious construction projects, which they see as money pits...
There are always tense moments and occurrences, and they increase construction costs. It’s important at such times not to squabble with the contractor but to work together and keep going. There have been setbacks with the depot, but fortunately the risks are smaller now we’re close to completion. And I know Rotterdam people quite well. Once the building’s finished they’ll be hugely proud of it. Whether it’s high rise or not, whether it’s small or vast, whether it’s prestigious or not… at the end of the day Rotterdammers will embrace it.
Depot Journal
This article has been published before in Depot Journal #2 which is part of a series of six. If you would like to receive all the printed Depot journals by post, please send an email to info@boijmans.nl with your full name and address, reference ‘receive Depot Journals’.