For the new parking garage at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Metadecor realised the perforated corten steel façade using MD Designperforation. The nine-storey building, designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects, forms an integral part of the museum ensemble and the Naturalis entrance zone.

The facility accommodates approximately 580 cars and supports sustainable mobility with provisions for electric vehicles, car-sharing and bicycle use. The high architectural finish and circular ambitions made the façade a key visual component of the design.

Executed in 3 mm weathering steel, the corten develops a characteristic warm brown patina through natural oxidation. This allows the parking structure to align with the material expression of the Naturalis complex while providing a durable, low-maintenance façade solution.

Custom perforation for transparency and ventilation

The MD Designperforation panels feature a project-specific repeating pattern. The perforations create a layered façade with varying transparency and allow filtered daylight to enter the parking decks.

The open structure supports natural ventilation and allows interior light to subtly radiate outward in use, giving the corten façade visual depth without compromising the robust massing. With a façade area of approximately 4,650 m², the perforated skin forms the defining architectural element of the parking garage.

Prefabricated façade and efficient installation

The design perforation panels were folded for stiffness and manufactured as prefabricated façade elements. Installation took place on a galvanised steel substructure, with the corten panels suspended using hook-on brackets and mechanically secured.

This system enabled fast and precise on-site installation and results in a durable, demountable façade construction aligned with the project’s circular ambitions and high quality standards.

Expanded metal as functional complement

In addition to the façade, Metadecor supplied MD Expanded Metal elements for ceiling applications and technical screening within the parking structure. These components support ventilation and building services while matching the industrial architectural language of the building.

Integrated artwork

For the façade of the Naturalis parking structure, artist Giny Vos created the artwork In the Eyes of Sibylla Merian: two monumental insect eyes that overlook the surrounding area from the building’s exterior. Each eye measures approximately six metres in height and is inspired by the compound eye of the Merian’s brush moth, a species included in the Naturalis collection and named after the 17th-century naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian.

The eyes are composed of hundreds of transparent acrylic facets with a dichroic film, capturing daylight and continuously shifting in colour depending on the angle of the sun and the viewer’s perspective. The work establishes a clear relationship with the façade through its use of light: while Metadecor’s design perforation focuses on light transmission and transparency, Vos explores how reflection and daylight can bring an object to life.

During the development process, Vos worked closely with Metadecor to explore how her material would relate to the corten steel façade in terms of appearance, colour and perforation pattern. Through this alignment, artwork and façade were developed in parallel and remain visually interconnected.

With these enlarged insect eyes, Vos also draws attention to the often overlooked world of small insects—organisms that are just as essential to life on earth as the larger species more commonly associated with Naturalis.