Exploring questions around both archival heritage and architectural production, the “Living Archive” exhibition found its home within a sixth-floor former HNI office space, offering a setting reminiscent of the very environments where these ideas were conceived, while also presenting clear exhibition design challenges. From this vantage point, visitors enjoyed sweeping views of one of MVRDV's latest triumphs: the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, a testament to the pioneering spirit driving both the exhibition and the architectural landscape it celebrates.

Echoing the innovative ethos of the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, MVRDVHNI delved beyond mere finished designs into the nuances of the design processes themselves. Original sketches, material samples, and correspondence with collaborators provided rare insights into the creative genesis of each project, blurring the boundaries between the analogue and digital realms to enrich the visitor experience.

The exhibition’s presentation bridged the analogue-digital divide, underscoring MVRDV’s commitment to digital design. Innovative tools such as MVRDV.Cloud, developed by the MVRDV NEXT studio, empowered visitors to explore the projects according to their own interests. Additionally, software by Namelok analysed individuals in MVRDV images, while a search engine by Giacomo Nanni & Francesca Morini allowed visitors to delve into the archives with unprecedented depth and precision.