Archinect - News

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...

Marble Arch Mound: Deputy leader of London council behind MVRDV-designed attraction resigns due to soaring costs

2021-08-13T19:16:00-04:00

The deputy leader of a London council responsible for the ballooning costs of the Marble Arch Mound has resigned. Melvyn Caplan stepped down immediately after total costs nearly doubled to £6m, up from a forecast of £3.3m. Ticketholders were offered refunds for the artificial viewing platform which temporarily closed within two days of opening on 26 July.

The Westminster City Council, the park’s operator, has said that a review to “understand what went wrong and ensure it never happens again,” is underway.

The MVRDV-designed attraction is now free to visit for the month of August after its plants and grass began to die.

In a statement, council leader Rachael Robathan labeled the rise in costs “totally unacceptable” and expressed regret over her deputy’s resignation.

Previously on Archinect: MVRDV’s Marble Arch Mound is a magnet for public criticism

“Doing nothing was never an option,” she said. “So when the mound fully reopens in September, I hope that people will come and see it for themselves. The mound may delight or divide views and that's OK, but we're confident that in the end, it will fulfil its original brief — to get people back into the West End and remind them of why this is a world-class city.”

MVRDV’s Marble Arch Mound is a magnet for public criticism

2021-07-30T17:58:00-04:00

MVRDV’s latest project is closing after just two days following a torrent of public backlash against the $3 million artificial earthen mound in Westminster, London.

The Marble Arch Mound opened earlier this week after an abbreviated construction period which began in early May. Commentators online were quick to point out the rather stark contrast between the project’s renderings at announcement and actual appearance upon delivery. Swaths of an exposed scaffolding base, an incomplete application of greenery, and a confounding maze of fences have left people to question the project’s cost, utility, and even meaning. Westminster City Council, the park’s operator, has apologized for the mishap in an unprecedented statement admitting to the mound’s “not ready” status and closing it to the public as a result.

Previously on Archinect: MVRDV creates temporary artificial hill near London's Hyde Park

Refunds are now being provided to the disheartened customers who were able to visit the struc...

MVRDV creates temporary artificial hill near London's Hyde Park

2021-02-16T12:00:00-05:00

MVRDV today revealed "Marble Arch Hill," a temporary installation next to London's Marble Arch. It is a hollowed-out mountain based on a scaffolding structure designed to create a rendered interest in the surrounding area, which connects Oxford Street and Hyde Park.

The design introduces a park-like landscape that climbs over the artificial mountain, giving visitors a 25-meter-tall viewpoint to see the surrounding area from a new perspective. Marble Arch Hill uses a scaffold structure on its base that will support the plywood and soil layers needed to hold the outer grass "skin."

"This project is a wonderful opportunity to give an impulse to a highly recognizable location in London," said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas in a statement. "It’s a location full of contradictions, and our design highlights that. By adding this landscape element, we make a comment on the urban layout of the Marble Arch, and by looking to the site’s history, we make a comment on the area’s future. We enl...