Visit to the State Hermitage of technical specialists from the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre

On 19-22 October 2008 the State Hermitage was visited by a delegation of technical specialists from Amsterdam led by Pieter van Empelen, the head of the project to reconstruct the Amstelhof building (second phase of the Hermitage Amsterdam project). The delegation also included Michele Sanders, assistant head of the project, and Roelof van der Kooi, a specialist in fire-alarm and security systems, the monitoring of the microclimate and critical situations in museums.

In the course of the visit members of the delegation had working meetings with V.Yu. Matveyev, the deputy director for exhibitions and development, A.V. Bogdanov, deputy director for exploitation and chief engineer, V.P. Lukin, chief architect, V.A. Smirnov, chief power enginer, P.Ye. German, head of the department of electronics, alarm systems and communications, and O.V. Tolpygin, chief mechanic.

The Dutch specialists informed their Hermitage colleagues about the progress of construction work in the Amstelhof building, which will be completed by 25 December 2008. The installation of equipment will begin in January 2009 and in April the first exhibits of the exhibition “Russian Court Life” will already arrive in the new building.

Each phase in the construction of the new museum in the Amstelhof is accompanied by discussion with the specialists and administration of the State Hermitage. During their visit the Dutch team presented documents relating to the logistics of transporting works of art and the ari-conditioning system in the museum halls.

Roelof van der Kooi also visited the Hermitage’s Staraya Derevnia Restoration and Storage Complex where he exchanged opinions with staff on questions relating to the development, installation and exploitation of technical support systems in a modern museum.

During the visit our Dutch colleagues also acquainted themselves with the plans for the reconstruction of the General Staff building and met the management of the general contractor for the project, OOO Intarsia.

On 21 October 2008 Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky met with the delegation from Amsterdam. The Dutch specialists informed him of the results of their working visit.

Pieter van Empelen, Head of the project to reconstruct the Amstelhof building

Roelof van der Kooi, Manager Facilities & Security

Michel Sanders, Assistant Project Manager Construction

The meeting between Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and the delegation from Amsterdam

During the meeting