Just In #2: Work in Progress
20 May 2026 - 7 August 2026
The Just In #2 exhibition showcases 13 acquisitions that have recently been added to the National Collection for Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning. Items from the archives of the local architecture foundation Stichting Architectuur Lokaal, the art historian Wies van Moorsel and the architects Frans Ghijsels, Aldo and Hannie van Eyck, and Herman Hertzberger can be seen.
For Just In #2, a selection was made from acquisitions since 2023. The exhibition presents the archived items in their original state, including correspondence in shoeboxes, drawings in folders and digital files on hard drives. Once the exhibition has concluded, the archives will be inventoried and conserved where necessary, then repackaged in accordance with museum guidelines. They will then be made available to the public for research, exhibitions and loans.
Work in progress
Just In #2 also offers a unique behind-the-scenes insight into the museum. At various times, archivists from the Nieuwe Instituut will be working live in the exhibition space. You can watch acquisitions being unpacked, examined and described. You can also ask the archivists questions about the archival documents, the collection process or the significance of the acquisitions.
Videos from the Out of the Box series, in which archivists unpack acquisitions and share their thoughts and experiences, are shown continuously.
What do we collect?
Nieuwe Instituut manages the national archives, but establishes its own collection policy. This policy focuses on the cultural and creative dimensions of architecture and urban planning. The design process is central to this. We collect not only drawings and models of completed designs, but also the material produced around them. This includes design sketches, correspondence, study materials and administrative records – documents and files containing information about the design process and the context in which the design originated.
This autumn, we will present a new collection policy to supplement the current one. This new policy will focus not only on what we collect, but also on how we do it. The plan introduces new collection practices in which designers, researchers and communities play an active role in the acquisition process.
Acquisitions
- Quadrat, atelier voor stedebouw, landschap en architectuur
- Stichting Architectuur Lokaal
- Gerard Beijn
- Moshé Emanuel Zwarts
- Wim Quist
- Piet Blom
- Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels
- Lafour en Wijk Architecten
- Wies van Moorsel
- Jo van den Broek
- Herman Hertzberger
- Aldo en Hannie van Eyck
- Luce van Rooy
