Archinect - News

Barcode's new CasaNova residential project seeks a new social synergy in Rotterdam

2023-10-03T13:25:00-04:00

Barcode Architects has shared photos of the firm’s newly completed CasaNova residential tower project in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Defined by its triangular volume and hand-cut red natural stone-paneled facade, the 236,806-square-foot structure rises from a base plinth to a height of 36 stories, preferencing social connectivity throughout and via a 5th-floor outdoor roof garden that’s shared with residents of the firm’s smaller The Muse design from 2020.

Image: © Hans Wilschut, courtesy of Barcode Architects

The plinth also contains co-working spaces, a communal kitchen, a gym, and hotel rooms. Inside the tower, a total of 116 high-end residences offer sweeping 300-degree views of the city’s skyline. Triangular balconies totaling 161 square feet are formed at the corners of the tower, and residents are once again channeled toward a greater social cohesion which takes place on the walk from the parking garage entrance to the towe...

MAD Architects unveils design of new dance center in Rotterdam

2023-03-10T08:00:00-05:00

MAD Architects has revealed the design of Danshuis, a world-class dance center built from a former riverfront warehouse in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It will feature professional dance studios, theaters, and exhibition spaces for dancers from around the world.

Image: Proloog

MAD Architects was commissioned by philanthropic investor Droom en Daad Foundation. The Rotterdam-based organization aims to make the city a world leader through art and culture. Sitting along the south bank of the Mas River Rotterdam, the Danshuis will echo the adjacent Fenix Museum of Migration, MAD’s first European cultural project.

Image: Proloog

For Danshuis, the architects preserved the original warehouse structure while introducing a number of components that express the project’s aim to be a symbol for freedom and pluralism. This is evident through an open-air, semi-circular theater that refers to ancient Greek gathering spaces located in the middle area of the top floor. This performance space will be o...

MVRDV launches digital tool that lays out design possibilities for Rotterdam's rooftops

2022-11-28T17:21:00-05:00

At the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, MVRDV’s computational design arm MVRDV NEXT, multidisciplinary planning organization Superworld, and the Municipality of Rotterdam announced RoofScape, a software that visualizes potential uses for rooftops in Rotterdam.

RoofScape was designed to be used by both professionals and citizens while being detailed enough to assist policymakers and urban planners. As noted in MVRDV’s press announcement, rooftops have become one of Rotterdam’s urban planning priorities. This program builds on prior work between MVRDV and the Dutch city, who launched Rooftop Catalog in 2021, a book containing 130 suggestions for how rooftops can be utilized to increase Rotterdam’s density. The suggestions range from providing more housing and leisure spaces to fostering biodiversity and energy generation.

Image courtesy of MVRDV

The software works by color-coding roofs by what uses they can support. The possibilities are determined through a wide range of ...

MVRDV's vibrant new Rotterdam Rooftop Walk is officially open. See the first photos here.

2022-05-27T13:13:00-04:00

MVRDV’s latest public installation is underway as Rotterdam Rooftop Walk officially commenced on Thursday, Ascension Day, in the nation’s second-largest city.

Image © Ossip van Duivenbode/MVRDV

The installation is conceived of as the studio’s decades-long experimentation with urban rooftop space and commemorating the start of Rotterdam Architecture Month, the 600-meter-long (1,968 feet) bright orange walkway made its debut for the press ahead of a public unveiling of the adjacent viewing platform called The Podium scheduled for June 1st.

Image courtesy MVRDV

Located on the pergola of the Het Nieuwe Instituut space designed by Jo Coenen in the city’s Museumpark district, the installation is first accessed via a set of 143 bright pink stairs and serves as a showcase for the coterie of creative professionals displaying the capacity for such spaces to be used for greenery, water storage, food production, and energy generation.

Image © Ossip van Dui...

Design-versus-reality images show ODA's transformation of historic Rotterdam post office

2022-05-11T11:53:00-04:00

New photographs have been released showing construction progress at POST Rotterdam, documenting the restoration and reinvention of a historic post office in the Dutch city. Designed by ODA with Omnam Group, the project sees the 100-year-old building transformed into a hotel, with accompanying retail, restaurants, two public plazas, and a 155-meter (500-foot) tall residential tower.

Historic entrance and elevator, during construction. Image © Ossip

Historic entrance and elevator, design proposal. Image © ODA

Among the architectural features showcased in the new images are the Great Hall, a 22.5-meter (75-foot) high vaulted room dating from 1916. Working with Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau, the team has preserved and restored the space, whose ultimate role will be to serve as the project’s “public heart.” To make the hall more accessible, a new entrance is being added via a piazza-style courtyard from a former service entrance.

The Great Hall, during construction. Image © Ossip

The G...

MVRDV's The Podium at Het Nieuwe Instituut seeks to showcase the role rooftops can play in urban design

2022-03-01T19:13:00-05:00

Expanding on its long and studied history of demonstrating the capacity for rooftop spaces to produce a better urban environment, MVRDV has now revealed plans for a bright, new, temporary event space on top of the Jo Coenen-designed Het Nieuwe Instituut that will serve as the heart and arteries of Rotterdam’s Rooftop Walk and Architecture Month this summer.

For a little over ten weeks, the 600-square-meter space can be accessed via a 143-step staircase leading into an elevated viewing platform on the pergola of the Instituut and is meant to engage visitors with an informative view of the neighboring Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen and Museumpark in addition to its built-in program of creative inspiration.

Image © MVRDV

Rising to a height of 29 meters (95 feet), the temporary platform is meant to highlight the city's rooftops' amazing potential to reduce the sprawl as it provides Rotterdammers with the ability to pursue a host of green activities ranging from energy product...

Jeff Bezos is having a bridge dismantled in Rotterdam to make way for his superyacht

2022-02-04T10:41:00-05:00

A century-old steel bridge in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam will be partially dismantled this summer to allow a superyacht being built for Jeff Bezos to sail through.

The controversial project will make way for Bezos’ new $485 million Oceanco-designed sailing yacht, which is about half the length of the Titanic. Bezos has agreed to pay for the bridge’s removal. The 144-year-old structure narrowly survived heavy allied bombing of the city during War II and a later attempt by the city to demolish it that was eventually stopped by local citizens. The bridge was restored in 2007.

Rotterdam’s mayor’s office has said it welcomes the economic benefits of the project, although some residents have other plans.

“From an economic perspective and maintaining employment, the municipality considers this a very important project,” Rotterdam municipal project leader Marcel Walravens told AFP. “In addition, Rotterdam has also been declared the maritime capital of Europe. Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are therefore an important pillar of the municipality.”

‘Slapstick Architecture’: Oliver Wainwright’s struggle to find meaning in the new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

2021-11-16T12:50:00-05:00

The storage has been forced to fit the quirks of the building, rather than the other way around, which seems like an odd way to design an art store.

The Guardian critic interviewed MVRDV frontman Winy Maas to find out if the inspiration for Rotterdam's new open storage museum came from a €3.99 salad bowl, noting its mirrored exterior affects the opposite of its intended invisibility and is also rather difficult to clean.

“The architects’ ambition was to create a building that ‘seems to disappear into its surroundings’ — but a 13-storey mirrorball does anything but,” he wrote. “There is a freeport here, too, where dealers can store art without paying tax. Such commercial aspects have helped to make the project stack up, along with €42m raised from private sources, but the hefty ticket price seems at odds with so much of the building being a corporate showcase to burnish big brands.”

Previously on Archinect: MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is finally open in Rotterdam

MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is finally open in Rotterdam

2021-11-08T12:13:00-05:00

The wait has ended for the revamped Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The world’s first publicly accessible art storage depot officially opened to the public over the weekend after a five-year-long construction period led by MVRDV.

Visitors will now be able to interact with over 151,000 pieces of art housed by the 167,000-square-foot facility, which also features a Birch-lined rooftop garden and viewable conservation areas giving them behind-the-scenes views of the museum’s staff working across five distinct climate-controlled zones.

Image © Ossip van Duivenbode/MVRDV

The unique, 1,664-mirrored-panel bowl design made waves online and has been among the most highly-anticipated museum projects in recent memory since being announced in 2013. The project was initiated by the museum after repeated flooding of its previous storage facility prompted officials to reimagine how they might be able to use an upgrade to expand the relatively small amount of its collection that was vie...

The world's first publicly accessibly art depot designed by MVRDV opening in 99 days

2021-07-30T16:30:00-04:00

Today marks 99 days until the MVRDV-designed Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen opens its doors in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Upon opening on November 6th, the building will be the world’s first publicly accessible art depot, making its entire art collection of 151,000 works available to see.

The depot breaks from tradition as museums worldwide usually only display six to ten percent of their collections at any given time with the rest being in storage. Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen makes all of its works accessible and makes visible the processes behind preservation and restoration, which are normally closed off to the public.

The museum’s collection was formerly housed in the basement of the adjacent Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen but was increasingly emptied in 2015 due to unsafe, overcrowded, and dated conditions. The art was distributed and stored in five external depots in the Netherlands and abroad. Under the same roof again, the works are now saf...

A new permanent home for Rotterdam's Port Authority isn't meant to last forever

2021-06-17T17:42:00-04:00

Designs for a visitor center have been unveiled this week as the city of Rotterdam looks to transform public space in Europe’s busiest port.

The new Harbor Experience Center (HEC) is a collaboration between Dutch firms MVRDV and Kossmanndejong and features a series of five exhibition spaces stacked and rotated to offer visitors unique views of the city and port through panoramic windows and an open-air rooftop terrace complete with 266 solar panels.

Rooftop view with solar panels. Images courtesy MVRDV and Kossmanndejong.

“The center allows you to discover the port and understand what it means for society, the economy, and the environment,” Richard van der Eijk, the Port of Rotterdam’s Director of Communications & External Affairs, said in a statement.

The design came together as a replacement for FutureLand, the popular tourist destination that opened in 2009 and presently hosts over 100,000 visitors a year.

An exterior view of the building with bicycle parking. Images courtesy M...

Curator and writer Aric Chen is Het Nieuwe Instituut's new General and Artistic Director

2021-04-09T15:16:00-04:00

The Rotterdam-based institute of architecture, design, and culture Het Nieuwe Instituut ("The New Institute") announces Aric Chen as its new General and Artistic Director. Currently, Chen is based in Shanghai as the professor and founding Director of the Curatorial Lab at the College of Design & Innovation at Tongji University. He will be moving to Rotterdam to begin his position full-time in September 2021 but will assume his new role remotely starting in May.

Aric Chen was born and raised in Chicago, IL before his curatorial practices took him around the globe. He is currently based in Shanghai, CN. Chen received his BA in Architecture and BA in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, and received an MA in History of Decorative Arts and Design from Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and Parsons School of Design. Image © Yoha Jin

During his time as the Lead Curator for Design and Architecture at M+ Chen curated Shifting Objectives which was on display in from ...

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam appoints Derk Loorbach as chief curator of IABR–2022, SHOCK AND ROLL

2021-03-30T13:03:00-04:00

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam has announced the chief curator of its next edition: Derk Loorbach is the director of the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) and professor of Socioeconomic Transitions at the Erasmus University Rotterdam's Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Titled SHOCK AND ROLL, the 10th IABR will open in the fall of 2022 and commence a new series of biennales focusing on the "urgent need to put into design practice the all-embracing change to which science incites us, which the Paris climate objectives call for, to which the global community committed itself in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and with which the reality of the climate crisis confronts us every single day."

Related: Archinect Interviews George Brugmans, IABR - Part 1, Making City; Part 2, Arnavutköy, Istanbul; and Part 3, São Paulo, Rotterdam and Beyond

"With the appointment of Derk Loorbach, the IABR wants to take a crucial next step in a...

An aesthetically diverse plan takes shape for Rotterdam's Zomerhofkwartier district

2020-06-26T13:05:00-04:00

Rotterdam-based Orange Architects along with Echo urban design, Moederscheim Moonen, More Architecture, and Studio Nauta, has been commissioned by Rotterdam developers Leyten and Stebru to design the new Zomerhofkwartier (ZOHO) in Rotterdam.

ZOHO is a kind of "city within a city" in the Zomerhofkwartier district located between the city center and the Agniese district in Rotterdam. As a place that has been home to many creative residents and entrepreneurs over the past decade, the area has transformed into a bustling district filled with innovative workspaces.

In the brief for this project, the city of Rotterdam expressed its desire to increase the density of the area by turning it into a mixed-use district while hanging on to its existing creative identity. The goal is to create a district that encourages growth and development that is also a place where it is affordable to live and work.

The core design concept consists of three living environments stacked on top of one another: t...

OMA and LOLA unveil plans for new soccer stadium in Rotterdam

2020-06-19T15:19:00-04:00

OMA and LOLA Landscape Architects have unveiled new renderings for a new 63,000-seat soccer stadium in Rotterdam.

The proposed Feijenoord Stadium will be home to the Feyenoord Football Club and is billed as "future-proof infrastructure for football and daily activities in the surrounding communities" by the project team.

The stadium, according to the architects, features three-tier seating areas that help increase the arena's overall seating capacity while also "placing spectators as close to the field as possible for an intimate match experience."

Designed with a "bowl-shaped steel structure" supporting these seating areas, the stadium represents a key node in a new master plan for the Feyenoord City district, which has also been developed by OMA and LOLA.

The architects write, "On match days, crowds will gather at the concourse before entering the stadium, while the concourse design will also distribute several slow traffic routes along the water and into the surrounding neighb...

MVRDV transforms outdated office into residence anchored by courtyard

2020-06-15T13:20:00-04:00

MVRDV has completed Villa Stardust, a private home that began as a former commercial building. Inspired by the traditional Moroccan riad, the interior living spaces of the villa are oriented around a central patio space and courtyard.

Designed as an outdoor "living room," the 230-square-meter outdoor courtyard allows generous amounts of natural light into the dwelling and provides ample means of ventilation. The home as a whole is roughly 1,000 square meters and provides plenty of space to house both the family of five that resides within it in addition to a small medical practice run by the owner.

As a retrofit building, the villa incorporated many recycled materials in the patio's flooring, including re-purposed terracotta tiles. "The residents asked us to design the villa after they had already bought the building; I think it's very clever that, as non-architects, they understood its potential," said Nathalie de Vries, co-founder of MVRDV in a statement.

Moreover, MVRDV partner ...

Rooftop trees planted at MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

2020-04-13T13:44:00-04:00

Tree planting has commenced at MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the anticipated art depot that will feature exhibition falls, a sculpture roof garden and restaurant, and expansive public grounds.

Photo by Fred Ernst. Courtesy of MVRDV.

As part of the tree installation, 75 large birches will be lifted 35 meters to the roof of the depot. The rooftop forest was designed in collaboration with MTD landschapsarchitecten from Den Bosch. The tree species are Betula pubescens, a soft birch that grows to ten meters and is said to be resistant to varying weather conditions.

Photo by Arjen Ketting. Courtesy of MVRDV.

Expected to remain standing for several decades, the trees will be maintained via a special watering system to ensure the soil will never dry out.

PLP Architecture wins bid to design Holland's tallest timber and concrete tower

2020-01-02T21:20:00-05:00

The London-based architecture firm, PLP Architecture, recently won the international Delftseplein competition for its hybrid tower project known as "Tree House." The $177m (£137m/€160m) project will stand at 459 feet (140 meters) and will be constructed using mass timber and concrete materials.

Said to be the tallest hybrid structure in Holland, the tower will house 275 apartments in addition to other offerings such as office/co-working spaces, cafes, shops, and a restaurant that will sit on the tower's seventh floor.

"Tree House" project in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.. Image courtesy of PLP Architecture

The 37-story building was one of three competition finalists (along with UN Studio and Group A). According to PLP's project statement, "The building is being designed to stand at the forefront of architectural sustainability and will feature a part-timber structure with a concrete core, significant reused and recycled materials, rainwater collection and reuse and CO2 storage. Exter...

Upcoming exhibition highlights the work of MVRDV titled "Architecture Speaks: The Language of MVRDV"

2019-06-24T18:29:00-04:00

MVRDV is known for their interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary architecture and architecture's impact on urban issues. Designing innovative structures like the Tianjin Binhai Public Library and Glass Farm MVRDV will discuss their firm's design ethos and approach in an upcoming exhibition this July. Founding partner Nathalie de Vries shares in a recent press release the firm's excitement for the exhibition and the opportunity to reflect on their past work. According to de Vries, "...the creation and curation of Architecture Speaks was an opportunity for us to reflect on our work, to define theoretical categories and place projects from our firm's recent trajectory into a larger framework of ideas."

Image © MVRDV

The location of the exhibition will be held in the aut's Adambräu Building, a former brewhouse in Innsbruck, Austria. Architecture Speaks shows examples of MVRDV's design process using four towers which represent the spatial intervention of the following words "stack”, ...

Call for Applications! The Piet Zwart Institute, MIARD program offers students a combination of design-led research specialization and multidisciplinary practice

2019-02-05T13:00:00-05:00

This post is brought to you by the Piet Zwart Institute.

The Piet Zwart Institute houses the international Master programs of the Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Named after the pioneering Dutch designer, Piet Zwart, who worked experimentally across media and contexts, the Institute offers a rich combination of in-depth specialization and interdisciplinary exchange within an intimate learning environment.

As a small-scale program, MIARD operates from a point of view that education is adaptable to a variety of external forces and should resist institutional idleness. Practice is considered an expanding field as a means to train practitioners for a career in a changing world. Interior Architects are increasingly faced with a complex world of new realties, technologies, socio-political, environmental and economic challenges; thus, the practice of the designer needs to react, expand and shape future roles.

Image courtesy of Piet Zwart Institute

The ...

MAD Architects to help transform the historic Fenix warehouse in Rotterdam into a landmark for migrants

2018-11-27T09:27:00-05:00

Once the largest warehouse in the world, the Fenix building and its surrounding riverbanks in Rotterdam saw millions of European migrants leave from its embarkments. Bought this year by the arts organization Droom en Daad Foundation, the building will soon undergo a historic renovation that seeks to honor this legacy.

Today, the former Holland American Line facility houses a number of arts groups, galleries, and, an organic food court. While the ground floor will continue to host restaurants, shops and galleries—some of which will remain its current occupants—the top floor will become devoted to exhibitions that commemorate the journeys of millions of migrants, both past and present.

Concept sketch. Courtesy of MAD Architects.

It won't be a museum, insists the Foundation's leader Wim Pijbes. He told the New York Times in April that he wants to find a word "that has a kind of hybrid function, a place, a platform, an agora." As an example of what might be on display, Pijbes revealed th...

Get Lectured: Piet Zwart Institute MIARD 2018

2017-12-29T15:28:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2018

Archinect's Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Although the Fall 2017 term is wrapping up, some schools have already revealed their lecture events for the Winter/Spring '18 terms. Here's a preview of the 2018 lecture series from the Master Interior Architecture: Research + Design (MIARD) at Piet Zwart Institute.

Jan 19
Hilary Sample / MOS Architects

Jan 24
Simone C. Niquille / Technoflesh

Feb 7
Federico Martelli / AMO/OMA

Mar 7
Cooking Sections

Mar 21
Laura Herman / La Loge

Apr 18
Shumi Bose / architectural writer, historian, curator

May 2018 (date TBA)
Joseph Grima / Design Academy Eindhoven

May 16
Saskia Noor van Imhoff / art...

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam releases their Curator Statement, Research Agenda and Call for Practices for IABR—2018+2020

2017-10-23T18:55:00-04:00

The next International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) will be split in two parts, the first held in 2018 and the second in 2020. Appropriately dubbed IABR—2018+2020, it will be based in both the Netherlands and Belgium and will use the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (COP21) as its impetus.

Curated by Floris Alkemade of Floris Alkemade Architectm (the Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands), Flemish Government Architect Leo Van Broeck of Bogdan & Van Broeck, and Joachim Declerck of the Belgian practice Architecture Workroom Brussels, the trio calls on innovative practices from around the globe to participate in The Missing Link: a three-year (from early 2018 to summer 2020) program of knowledge sharing, peer supervision, and joint research by design including presentations and debates at the biennales of 2018 and 2020.

This experimental program aims to see practices from various domains and continents and with different bac...

Rotterdam-based concept store Groos gets a revamp from MVRDV

2017-06-02T17:17:00-04:00

The new store will focus on high-end Dutch design, art, and collaborations, yet still stay true to its original concept: to promote the local, multidisciplinary talent from Rotterdam to a wide audience.

"Rotterdam concept store, Groos has moved to a bigger and more dynamic 300m2 space located at the historic Het Industriegebouw. The new stores' identity designed by MVRDV restoring the existing facade and interior to its original industrial roots."

The Dutch concept store's new location will focus more on high-end design, art, and collaborations with a range of creatives.

A large custom-built cabinet accommodates Groos' changing program by preserving maximum floor space.

Some of the other highlights include a display of original artworks on a bright pink wall, and a mint green candy counter designed by Sabine Marcelis.

Tjeerd Hendriks, Groos co-founder, said:

"As the store and city evolved, it seemed right for us to take the next step as well.” says Groos co-founder, Tjeerd Hendriks “We started out in Het Schieblock in an up-and-coming neighborhood with minimum funds and now we are moving to a monumental and historical building with world renowned Architects, MVRDV as our neighbors, and ...

The next International Architecture Biennale of Rotterdam will be split across two years and two countries

2017-04-20T12:14:00-04:00

The next International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) will be split in two parts, the first held in 2018 and the second in 2020. Appropriately dubbed IABR—2018+2020, it will be based in both the Netherlands and Belgium and use “the world as its source of inspiration”. This follows in line with a couple other major cultural events that have recently spread out from their original base, notably this year’s documenta, which is held in both Kassel and Athens.

The curators of IABR—2018+2020 will be Floris Alkemade of Floris Alkemade Architectm, the Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands; Flemish Government Architect Leo Van Broeck of Bogdan & Van Broeck; and Joachim Declerck of the Belgian practice Architecture Workroom Brussels.

The Biennale will use the Paris Agreement as its impetus, which they consider “an actual change of direction, a fundamental transition”. To that end, the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta and the Low Countries serve as appropriate workspaces. The regions b...

OMA to design major masterplan for Feyernood City in Rotterdam

2016-12-01T13:16:00-05:00

Rotterdam is the hometown and European headquarters of OMA and has many significant buildings by the firm. Now, it’s set to get a new major project. The Mayor and Aldermen of the city just approved a major new masterplan for Feyernoord City, home of the Feyenoord football team. Sited next to the Maas river in Rotterdam-Zuid, the plan includes a new stadium for the team alongside a redevelopment of the neighborhood and the existing stadium, De Kuip.

According to a press release, the 63,000 seat stadium will be the “landmark of Feyenoord City” and a catalyst for future development. The old stadium will be converted into apartments, commercial space and an athletics sports center. An 800m long boulevard, dubbed the Strip, will connect the former stadium to the new one. Additionally, the masterplan includes an 89,000 square meter park and 700 new residential unites.

“With the development of Feyenoord City, OMA contributes to the next phase of development for the city of Rotterdam, our hom...

Take a look at KAAN Architecten's new offices inside a 1950s-era Rotterdam building

2016-11-23T12:27:00-05:00

Just steps away from the iconic Erasmus Bridge, a new office for KAAN Architecten has joins the crowd of notable buildings in the heart of the Dutch city of Rotterdam. The project transformed 1,400 square meters of a site with a storied history. Designed by Henri Timo Zwiers in the mid-fifties, the structure was built on the grounds a former synagogue that was destroyed in the Second World War. Originally the premises of De Nederlandsche Bank, the building’s bright open spaces and rectangular floor plan lend itself well to an architecture office.

KAAN restored the industrial concrete structure, and counterbalanced the rough concrete with dark walnut. “The harmonious interaction between the warm comfort of the wood and the pre-existing concrete structure, envelopes the atmosphere in a graceful yet monumental feeling,” writes KAAN Architecten.

“The notion of sharing of knowledge is at the core of the division of spaces and the interior design of the new office. This rough space has the ...

Inside the MVRDV House, the firm's new family home-style office

2016-07-22T19:25:00-04:00

MVRDV settled into their new office headquarters inside the remodeled Het Industriegebouw, nestled in the heart of Rotterdam. Now dubbed by the firm as the MVRDV House, the building was originally designed by iconic Dutch architect Hugh Maaskant in 1952. The new 2,400 square-meter interior is modeled like a family home, filled with ample working and gathering spaces that reflect the “work hard, play hard” balance many firms strive for in their office's design.

Now with 140 employees based in Rotterdam, “[t]he expanding MVRDV family needed a new house,” says MVRDV co-founder Jacob van Rijs. MVRDV's new office has “everything that [a] home requires, a living room, a dining room, a sofa for the whole house to sit together,” he described. Surrounded by various creative start-ups and design firms, MVRDV believes they fit right in their new neighborhood.

The Family Room serves as the firm's main communal space for social interaction...

A video tour of MVRDV's "The Stairs"

2016-05-26T17:12:00-04:00

It's not exactly a staircase to heaven (more of a "symbolic arising of the city after World War II"), but the intimate rooftop views provided by MVRDV's "The Stairs" of Rotterdam are spectacular. Plus, the gleeful discussion of temporariness by architectural video duo #donotsettle's Wahyu Pratomo and Kris Provoost is worth a watch alone, along with a cameo by MVRDV co-founding director Winy Maas:

Call for Applications 2016-17: Master Interior Architecture and Retail Design (MIARD)

2016-05-09T12:15:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by the Piet Zwart Institute.

Final Deadline: May 15 2016
EU and Dutch applicants

The Piet Zwart Institute houses the international Master programs of the Willem de Kooning Academy, part of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Named after the pioneering Dutch designer Piet Zwart, who worked experimentally across different media and contexts, our institute offers a rich combination of in-depth specialisation and interdisciplinary exchange in a vibrant learning environment.

About the program:

The Master of Interior Architecture & Retail Design [MIARD] at the Piet Zwart Institute is a two-year, English Language postgraduate program.

Our international course situates itself in applied-research, experimentation, critical thinking and the professional field of interior architecture and developing spatial practice(s). We provide an educational platform to train and support designers to be critical and progressive in the field of interiors and to expand the bound...

Archinect - News

Barcode's new CasaNova residential project seeks a new social synergy in Rotterdam

MAD Architects unveils design of new dance center in Rotterdam

MVRDV launches digital tool that lays out design possibilities for Rotterdam's rooftops

MVRDV's vibrant new Rotterdam Rooftop Walk is officially open. See the first photos here.

Design-versus-reality images show ODA's transformation of historic Rotterdam post office

MVRDV's The Podium at Het Nieuwe Instituut seeks to showcase the role rooftops can play in urban design

Jeff Bezos is having a bridge dismantled in Rotterdam to make way for his superyacht

‘Slapstick Architecture’: Oliver Wainwright’s struggle to find meaning in the new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is finally open in Rotterdam

The world's first publicly accessibly art depot designed by MVRDV opening in 99 days

A new permanent home for Rotterdam's Port Authority isn't meant to last forever

Curator and writer Aric Chen is Het Nieuwe Instituut's new General and Artistic Director

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam appoints Derk Loorbach as chief curator of IABR–2022, SHOCK AND ROLL

An aesthetically diverse plan takes shape for Rotterdam's Zomerhofkwartier district

OMA and LOLA unveil plans for new soccer stadium in Rotterdam

MVRDV transforms outdated office into residence anchored by courtyard

Rooftop trees planted at MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

PLP Architecture wins bid to design Holland's tallest timber and concrete tower

Upcoming exhibition highlights the work of MVRDV titled "Architecture Speaks: The Language of MVRDV"

Call for Applications! The Piet Zwart Institute, MIARD program offers students a combination of design-led research specialization and multidisciplinary practice

MAD Architects to help transform the historic Fenix warehouse in Rotterdam into a landmark for migrants

Get Lectured: Piet Zwart Institute MIARD 2018

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam releases their Curator Statement, Research Agenda and Call for Practices for IABR—2018+2020

Rotterdam-based concept store Groos gets a revamp from MVRDV

The next International Architecture Biennale of Rotterdam will be split across two years and two countries

OMA to design major masterplan for Feyernood City in Rotterdam

Take a look at KAAN Architecten's new offices inside a 1950s-era Rotterdam building

Inside the MVRDV House, the firm's new family home-style office

A video tour of MVRDV's "The Stairs"

­­Call for Applications 2016-17: Master Interior Architecture and Retail Design (MIARD)

Call for Applications 2016-17: Master Interior Architecture and Retail Design (MIARD)