Multi-Year Heritage Programme Disclosing Architecture Draws to a CloseMulti-Year Heritage Programme Disclosing Architecture Draws to a Close

The primary aim of Disclosing Architecture was to preserve the National Collection for future generations by conserving, digitising and, where necessary, restoring a significant proportion of its design drawings and photographs. At the same time, the programme provided every opportunity to question, challenge and innovate current heritage practice – from collecting and research to opening up and presenting. Disclosing Architecture offered a unique opportunity to develop all these building blocks of heritage practice in relation to each other, and to explore where they can reinforce each other and where they can work against each other – for example, in the areas of quality standards, methods, costs, infrastructure, technology and collaboration.

Disclosing Architecture has therefore been able to act as a catalyst for the development of a new policy, working method and vision for the management of the National Collection. The programme has led to a streamlining of collections policy and new forms of interaction between the public and heritage. It has generated a wealth of knowledge and experience that is available to the heritage sector as a whole.

Every year, 150,000 drawings are conserved and registered, partly in-house, and partly by paper conservation studios. This task, which revolves mainly around an optimal workflow, restoration protocols, selection, logistics and collaboration, was counterbalanced by the highly specialised material and colour research on the Van Doesburg collection and the meticulous restoration of 448 museum-quality pieces. It was an exploration of the extremes of what is possible in the field of restoration and (mass) conservation.

The completion of Disclosing Architecture also means the launch of a new digital Collection Platform that not only makes the collection more accessible and searchable, but also connects it to other collections worldwide through the use of linked open data. Nieuwe Instituut was commissioned to develop an innovative platform that fully complies with the data and infrastructure standards of the Dutch National Digital Heritage Strategy. The aim was to test and evaluate new ways of digitally opening up heritage collections, and to see how far the standards are feasible in practice.

Disclosing Architecture has also led to a substantial revaluation of the collection. A study of the cultural value of analogue reproductions in architectural practice has given new meaning to a previously undervalued part of the collection and provided the impetus for a new valuation framework. The photographic collection has been mapped out in detail for the first time, giving a clearer picture not only of the materials and techniques used, but also of the enormous wealth of content.

The changing role of heritage in society requires new perspectives on collecting, one of the core tasks of the Nieuwe Instituut. Whereas in previous decades the focus of investment was on the heritage itself and the quality of its care, now the focus is on people and their relationship with heritage. For heritage institutions, this means a shift from a managing institution as an authority to a facilitator working closely with communities and bottom-up initiatives. Over the past four years, the Collecting Otherwise research project has experimented with new ways of collecting and making heritage accessible ‘otherwise’, by exploring new forms of collaboration.

At the end of the 1990s, the Nieuwe Instituut started to digitise its architectural collection using analogue photography and simple scanners. This method has developed into a professional, well-equipped digitisation department. Disclosing Architecture significantly accelerated and intensified this process, as quantity became as important as quality. The programme boosted production to around 70,000 digitised items per year and brought a huge amount of knowledge into the organisation.

The programme has benefited the wider heritage sector through the sharing of knowledge and experience, such as at the Disclosing Architecture conference in late 2022, and through publications, presentations and involvement in partnerships across institutional and sector boundaries.

We will also be sharing the results of Disclosing Architecture with other institutions, partners and stakeholders and interested parties at the closing event on 14 November. Would you like to join us? Take a look at the programme and register here!