The State Secretary for Culture and Media in those days, Rick van der Ploeg, them ordered a government advisory committee to determine how the design sector in the Netherlands could be supported.
In order to establish some effective government control over the sector it was thought that a new institute should cover multiple specialisms in the field.
"[5] The center was located in the renovated St. Nikolaaskapel in the Prinses Irenestraat, and contained spaces for exhibitions, and for lectures, debates and workshops.
The plan of this museum was developed by Reyn van der Lugt, curator of the Netherlands Architecture Institute.
[5] In 2010 the Amsterdam conference on Redesigning Design was organized in cooperation with Creative Commons Netherlands, and the Waag Society.