Nemo, Amsterdam, Holland

Architect	Renzo Piano
Date Built	1997
Location	Oosterdok
Description
The IJ Tunnel carries road traffic beneath Amsterdams IJ, a lake that forms the city's waterfront.  A finger of land carries the road down into the tunnel and at the end of that peninsula Renzo Piano's Nemo science and technology museum rises up like the prow of a ship.  Piano explains on his website that , "Surrounded by water, the building has a ship-like form and pre-oxidized copper-clad facades, referencing the surrounding port.  A pedestrian ramp leads up onto the building’s sloping roof that serves as a public piazza for visitors and as a social focus for the neighbourhood." The "architectureguide" website points out that, "The ship metaphor is enhanced by the cladding of semi-perforated copper panels fronting the toughened glass fenestration. Inside, there is a continuous open space with levels stepping up beneath the roof to contain exhibitions and other public functions."

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