Guided Tour of Aldo van Eyck's Burgerweeshuis: Discover Landmark Architecture and the BPD Art Collection

Explore Aldo van Eyck's Burgerweeshuis, a significant work in 20th-century Dutch architecture, and discover the art collection of its current tenant, BPD. This guided tour delves into the building's history, its innovative design, and the art that complements its principles.

This guided tour offers an in-depth exploration of the Burgerweeshuis, designed by the renowned architect Aldo van Eyck (1918-1999), which is considered a landmark of 20th-century Dutch architecture and an international architectural highlight. Originally built in 1955 to house 125 orphans, the building is characterized by its labyrinthine structure of pavilions covered by 328 domes, ingeniously arranged around patios. Van Eyck prioritized the human scale, creating a sense of both private and collective space with the motto 'a house like a city, a city like a house,' fostering a nurturing environment for children. The building, completed in 1960, served as an orphanage until 1991 before undergoing thorough restoration. Today, it houses the headquarters of area developer BPD Bouwfonds Gebiedsontwikkeling, which displays an impressive art collection featuring national and international contemporary works. This collection includes pieces by artists such as Sol Lewitt, Esther Tielemans, and André Volten, selected to resonate with the building's design principles of structuralism, the relationship between interior and exterior, the playful human element, and color.

Tickets for this guided tour must be purchased in advance through the website. The tour takes place from 11:00 to 12:30 and is conducted in Dutch. Only the ground floor is accessible by wheelchair and/or walker. The starting point is Burgerweeshuis Aldo van Eyck, IJsbaanpad 1.