Tag: rotterdam | ArchDaily

Graham Foundation Announces 54 Grants for Individuals Exploring Architecture Through Research and Creative Practice

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

The Graham Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2026 Grants to Individuals program, awarding a total of $506,000 to 54 projects that investigate architecture through exhibitions, films, publications, and research initiatives. Selected from more than 600 submissions to the Foundation's September 2025 application cycle, the grants support work by 86 architects, artists, curators, designers, filmmakers, historians, scholars, and writers, reflecting a broad range of interdisciplinary approaches to the built environment and its cultural, social, and political dimensions.

City-Making Through Participation: Lessons from Utopian Hours 2026

Mohieldin Gamal — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Who has the right to the city? Henri Lefebvre's writings question the structures that control urban space and, instead, put the citizens at the center of decision-making. His ideas have influenced the way architecture and urban design are practiced, bringing about community participation and co-design. These have been some of the most prominent themes at Utopian Hours 2026, the festival of city-making, the first part of which was held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam to mark its tenth anniversary edition.

No Solid Ground: Three Approaches to Building Below Sea Level in Rotterdam

Olivia Poston — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Architects carefully calibrate their relationship to the earth, adjusting foundations to soil, groundwater, climate, risk, and culture. Driven timber piles, rammed-earth platforms, and poured concrete slabs are each a response to a specific set of ground conditions, and each shapes the architecture that rises from it. The way a building meets the earth determines its durability and its limits because foundations are among the most consequential design choices an architect makes.

De Hartenrust Residential Building / van Bergen Kolpa architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

De Hartenrust is a new social housing building on the bend of the River Rotte in Rotterdam. The building consists of tower apartments, townhouses, and corner houses. Together they form a versatile sculpture that marks the connection between the densely populated Oude Noorden neighborhood and the green, livable riverbanks. The building contains 36 affordable social housing units, including family homes and apartments.

Valckensteyn - Timber Residential Building / Powerhouse Company

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Valckensteyn, the first mass timber residential building in Rotterdam, has been officially delivered. Designed by Powerhouse Company and commissioned by housing corporation Woonstad Rotterdam, the project merges innovative timber construction with a strong social mission: providing 82 affordable rental homes in an iconic post-war district.

Floating Office Rotterdam / Powerhouse Company

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Moored at Rijnhaven port in Rotterdam, Powerhouse Company's floating office for the Global Center on Adaptation is a building for a new age. Self-sufficient and carbon-neutral, it will float – rather than flood – if water levels rise due to climate change. Fun as well as functional, it also forms a key element in a newly redeveloped port environment by providing public waterside space – and even a swimming pool.

Muziekwerf Rehearsal and Concert Venue / Powerhouse Company

Hadir Al Koshta — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Powerhouse Company, appointed by the philanthropic foundation Droom en Daad, proudly completes the transformation of Rotterdam's last Mennonite church into Muziekwerf. It is the first permanent rehearsal and concert venue in the Netherlands dedicated to the youth. Situated behind the bustling Hofplein, this sober 1951 church building has been transformed into a vibrant space for youth orchestras, pop choirs, and other musical talents.

De Piek Waterfront Residential Tower / KCAP

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Urban Catalyst - Standing 74 meters tall at the tip of Feijenoord Island, De Piek transforms a neglected parking lot into a vibrant waterfront hub. This residential tower brings new life to a previously overlooked industrial area in South Rotterdam, with 142 apartments and a ground-floor café that opens the quay to public use. Strategically positioned next to the Piek bridge, De Piek is part of a broader vision to convert the former industrial zone into a lively urban quarter blending residential, commercial, and public functions. The tower creates space where living, meeting, and relaxation converge, restoring the relationship between city and river. As the first project in a series of planned developments, it demonstrates the area's potential and sets the stage for future transformation: a place where industrial rawness meets contemporary urban vitality.

Revisiting 2025: 20 Classic Projects and Defining Stories in Architecture

Camilla Ghisleni — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Every architectural project is the result of deliberate choices. Beyond form and function, buildings embody technical, political, and cultural decisions that shape their relationship with both their surroundings and the people who inhabit them. ArchDaily’s AD Narratives series explores these processes by bringing together accounts that trace projects from initial conception to built realization. In parallel, the AD Classics series turns to works of historical significance, presenting not only the stories behind these buildings but also technical drawings that allow for a deeper, more informed reading of their architecture.

MVRDV’s Schieblocks Office Complex Moves Forward with Construction Approval in Rotterdam

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:30:00 +0000

MVRDV and SYNRG have received approval to construct Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-metre office building in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Designed for developer LSI, who markets the project as The Bluezone Offices, the building will occupy a narrow site along the railway line, reaching 61 metres in height and extending almost 150 metres in length. The programme includes commercial spaces at ground level, offices throughout, and a restaurant and event venue on the upper floors. Conceived as a "3D neighbourhood," the design breaks the large volume into a series of colourful, distinct blocks that incorporate numerous references to Rotterdam's architectural character.

MVRDV Advances Urban Densification with The Sax Residential Towers in Rotterdam

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:30:00 +0000

The City of Rotterdam, developers BPD and Synchroon, and architecture firm MVRDV have officially begun construction on The Sax, a major residential project located on Rotterdam's Wilhelminapier. Designed to contribute to the city's ongoing densification efforts, the development will deliver 916 apartments within two interconnected towers. Once completed, The Sax will make Wilhelminapier the most densely populated area in the Netherlands, making the project an example of compact urban growth. The design comprises two towers, combining a wide mix of housing types and shared amenities with strong connections to public transport and sustainable mobility solutions, including parking for 1,800 bicycles and a fully automated car garage. With its silver façade and undulating balconies, the building's form echoes the shape of a saxophone, reflecting the character of Rotterdam.

Behind the Scenes, On Display: Self-Curated Journeys through the Museum Archive

Jonathan Yeung — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The museum and gallery visit has long been a highly curated experience. Visitors are guided through a carefully orchestrated sequence of rooms, with hand-picked works arranged to tell a specific narrative, supported by signage, graphics, scenography, and calibrated lighting. Even the rarely changed exhibitions - the permanent collections, also typically rely on a strong curatorial voice— led by noted artists or curators—to set institutional stance and shape interpretation.

MAST Reveals Floating Neighborhood Design for Rotterdam’s Disused Spoorweghaven Dock

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 28 May 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Danish maritime architecture studio MAST, in collaboration with construction company BIK Bouw, has designed a new floating community for the disused Spoorweghaven dock in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The proposed neighborhood, which has received initial support from the Municipality of Rotterdam, includes over 100 apartments, public spaces, commercial units, and a recreational harbor near the city center. Floating architecture is MAST's response to the Netherlands' housing crisis, offering a modular, adaptable solution for building a wide range of structures on water.

Fenix Art Museum / MAD Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Wed, 21 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Fenix is a major new museum that explores migration through the lens of art, opening on a landmark site in Rotterdam's City Harbor, developed by internationally acclaimed architects MAD. With a rapidly expanding collection of historic and contemporary objects, Fenix tells the story of migration through a series of encounters with art, architecture, photography, food, and history. Located in what was once part of the world's largest transshipment warehouse, on a peninsula in Rotterdam's historic port district, Fenix overlooks the docks where millions of migrant journeys began and ended. The monumental 16,000 square meter warehouse has been transformed to become Fenix by MAD Architects with restoration consultation by Bureau Polderman. This is MAD Architects' first commission for a public cultural building in Europe, as well as the first museum to be built by a Chinese firm in Europe. The project was initiated by the Droom en Daad Foundation, founded in 2016. The Foundation is helping redefine Rotterdam for the 21st century - developing new kinds of arts and culture institutions and fostering new creative talent that reflects the city's diversity, its spirit, and its history

MAD Architects’ Fenix Museum of Migration Opens in Rotterdam’s City Harbor

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 15 May 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Fenix is a new museum in Rotterdam's City Harbour, dedicated to the collection of historic and contemporary objects that explore migration through art. It is located on the Katendrecht peninsula on the south bank of the River Maas, in a 100-year-old former warehouse recently renovated by MAD Architects and Bureau Polderman. This marks MAD Architects' first commission for a public cultural building in Europe. Recently completed, the building is set to open this Friday, May 16, showcasing three exhibitions: All Directions, featuring over 150 artworks and objects from the Fenix collections; The Family of Migrants, a photographic exhibition by Edward Steichen; and The Suitcase Labyrinth, an interactive installation made up of 2,000 donated suitcases.

Kop Dakpark: The Project by INBO and h3o architects that Redefines Social Housing in Rotterdam

Fabián Dejtiar — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 04:30:00 +0000

Located at the edge of Rotterdam's iconic Dakpark, the new Kop Dakpark project, designed by the architectural firms INBO and h3o, stands as an innovative model of sustainable and inclusive housing. Developed by Woonstad Rotterdam, this residential complex includes 153 affordable homes —63 social and 90 middle-income— that not only address the need for housing but also integrate nature and community to enhance both the urban and ecological landscape.

Van Nelle Factory: The Story Behind a Modernist Icon in Rotterdam

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 04:00:00 +0000

The Van Nelle Factory, located in Rotterdam, is one of the most significant examples of Modernist Industrial Architecture. Designed by Johannes Andreas Brinkman and Leendert van der Vlugt between 1925 and 1931, with the involvement of Mart Stam — a pioneer in modernist furniture design and architecture — the factory was conceived as a progressive and functional building for processing coffee, tea, and tobacco.

Exploring High-Rise Innovations: 8 Conceptual Towers Redefining Urban Density from the ArchDaily Community

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 04:00:00 +0000

As cities grow and available land becomes more limited, high-rise architecture plays an important role in addressing urban density while shaping new ways of living and working. Tall buildings are evolving beyond their traditional functions to integrate environmental strategies, enhance public engagement, and contribute to the urban fabric. Architects are exploring new materials, energy-efficient technologies, and spatial configurations that make towers more adaptable to their surroundings. Some projects incorporate green spaces and shared amenities to create a stronger connection between the built environment and its users, while others introduce innovative construction techniques to improve sustainability and efficiency.