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.
In total, the three-day festival will see over 460 live pitches from the 2025 finalists, presented to more than 160 international judges. Today has seen shortlisted projects from around the world compete for 21 award categories within Completed Buildings, Future Projects, and Interiors. Award winners include OMA, Sordo Madaleno, Studio Arthur Casas, and NIKKEN SEKKEI.
https://www.archdaily.com/1036039/world-architecture-festival-2025-day-two-winners-announcedEnrique Tovar
The Sax residential towers by MVRDV. Render. Image Courtesy of MVRDV
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.
In the Dutch city of Hilversum, a municipal building completed in 1931 redefined the very idea of what a town hall could be. More than a house for local administration, the Hilversum Town Hall became the architectural expression of a community in transformation. With its tower rising above reflective ponds, its brick masses composed around courtyards, and its carefully detailed interiors, the building asserted that civic architecture could unite function with symbolism, efficiency with ceremony.
The architect behind this vision, Willem Marinus Dudok, was not only responsible for individual buildings but for the broader shaping of Hilversum itself. As a city architect and planner, he designed schools, housing districts, and parks, developing a language that fused Dutch craftsmanship with Modernist clarity. The town hall represented the culmination of this trajectory: a civic centerpiece where urban ambition, material refinement, and human scale converged in a single, coherent form.
Since its inauguration this spring, Expo 2025 Osaka has captured global attention from multiple perspectives, demonstrating how architecture can function as a laboratory for exploring solutions to pressing challenges. After 55 years, Osaka is once again hosting the World Expo, with each installation organized around the sub-themes Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives. These pavilions take forms that express the identity and values of their region through distinctive architectural languages, forming the central axis of their design. Building on this foundation, some installations serve as laboratories for the future society, utilizing technology to enhance experiences both inside and outside the spaces, transforming the visit through light, sound, visuals, and movement as part of the technological innovation showcased at the event.
Urban playgrounds are evolving from simple swing sets and slides into dynamic, multi-faceted urban landscapes. These new designs are more than just places to play; they are thoughtfully integrated spaces that address urban challenges, promote community, and inspire creativity. A key trend is the intentional use of color and pattern. Designers are utilizing vibrant color zones to segment different functional areas, creating a visually dynamic experience that contrasts with natural surroundings. This approach can also be used to establish a cohesive urban identity, with thoughtful color palettes that complement the existing cityscape.
In 2020, in the midst of the first wave of lockdowns due to the pandemic, the municipality of Amsterdam announced its strategy for recovering from this crisis by embracing the concept of the “Doughnut Economy.” The model is developed by British economist Kate Raworth and popularized through her book, “Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist”, released in 2017. Here, she argues that the true purpose of economics does not have to equal growth. Instead, the aim is to find a sweet spot, a way to balance the need to provide everyone with what they need to live a good life, a “social foundation” while limiting our impact on the environment, “the environmental ceiling.” With the help of Raworth, Amsterdam has downscaled this approach to the size of a city. The model is now used to inform city-wide strategies and developments in support of this overarching idea: providing a good quality of life for all without putting additional pressure on the planet. Other cities are following this example.
As Expo 2025 Osaka passes the midpoint of its six-month duration on July 13, the international exposition continues to serve as a global platform for architectural experimentation, cultural exchange, and technological innovation. Officially opened on April 13 on the reclaimed island of Yumeshima, the event is organized under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," and has already welcomed more than 13 million visitors as of late July. Conceived as a space for collaboration across disciplines and borders, the Expo brings together more than 150 national, thematic, and corporate pavilions.
The House of Culture and Administration in Delfzijl by Benthem Crouwel and Snøhetta. Image Courtesy of Benthem Crouwel Architects and Snøhetta
The House of Culture and Administration, a new civic complex designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects in collaboration with Snøhetta, is gradually taking shape in the Dutch city of Delfzijl. Located at Molenbergplein, the project brings together cultural and administrative functions in a unified architectural gesture that aims to strengthen the urban fabric of Eemsdelta. The current visualization marks a step forward in the structural design phase. Technical and financial refinements will continue over the summer, with final approval from the municipal council expected in October 2025.
The exhibition "Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion," presenting the work of Chinese architect Ma Yansong and his globally recognized practice MAD Architects, has opened at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, the Netherlands' national museum for architecture, design, and digital culture. Featuring a selection of projects from MAD's international portfolio, the exhibition explores how the studio challenges conventional architectural paradigms through forms influenced by nature and guided by sensorial experience. The exhibition will be on view until 12 October, and on Thursday 26 June, Ma Yansong will be the guest of honour at the Nieuwe Instituut for "An Evening With...", a public program where he will discuss his design philosophy with Aric Chen.
At the turn of the millennium, the world was gripped by the looming threat of the Y2K bug, a potential failure of computerized systems that could disrupt everything from banking to aviation. As midnight approached on December 31, 1999, people withdrew their savings, major corporations issued warnings, and governments scrambled to prevent public hysteria. But as the sun rose on January 1, 2000, the feared bug had no material impact, and the crisis faded as quickly as it had emerged. However, this era left its mark in unexpected places — particularly in architecture. Amid the anxiety surrounding digital technology, one of the most iconic concert halls of our time, Casa da Música in Porto, was born. Designed by OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), its origins can be traced to a much smaller project: the Y2K House. What began as an exploration of private domesticity during the digital scare evolved into a grand public structure — an architectural transition from home to a performance hall.
MVRDV and Zecc Architecten have won the competition to transform the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Heerlen into a public swimming pool. Originally built over 100 years ago, the church stopped hosting services in 2023, presenting the municipality with the opportunity to repurpose the building for community use. Nicknamed Holy Water, the adaptive reuse project is meant to give this listed national monument, with its recognizable silhouette, a new social function while preserving its historic elements. The design was created through a collaboration between MVRDV, Zecc Architecten, IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs, Nelissen Ingenieursbureau, and construction economics consultancy SkaaL, and is expected to be completed at the end of 2027.
Symbiosis, a Prototype for Living and Working. Image Courtesy of contexo
The future of urban life is increasingly being imagined as collective, layered, and adaptable. As cities grow denser and the boundaries between work, home, and leisure blur, architects are rethinking the traditional notion of residential living, shifting from isolated units to integrated, community-driven environments. This collection of unbuilt projects, submitted by the ArchDaily community, reflects this shift: a global exploration into how design can shape more resilient, inclusive, and connected ways of living.
In 2021, the Municipality of Roosendaal began collaborating with MVRDV as an urban development consultant. The firm's partner, Winy Maas, was subsequently appointed as urban advisor, conforming a team that included MVRDV, Rebel Group, Transitiefocus, and other experts. Their task was to consolidate existing projects and initiatives into a unified strategic vision, seeking a mix of bottom-up and top-down planning approaches. The vision, also called "The Mosaic", was developed through a participatory process involving residents. It provides insight at multiple scales, from land-use adjustments across the municipality to over 40 potential projects aimed at harnessing the potential of specific locations. Published as a series of seven interconnected documents, the vision aims to provide Roosendaal with strategies to accommodate growth.
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.
Envisioned as a "daylight factory", the Van Nelle complex introduced revolutionary architectural and social concepts for its time. By integrating glass, steel, and concrete into an open, rational layout, it demonstrated how design could transform industrial processes while improving the lives of the people within. It was not merely a space for production but a symbol of optimism, representing the potential of architecture to reshape industries and communities.
Nieuwe Instituut, the national museum and institute for architecture, design, and digital culture in the Netherlands, has opened the Dutch Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. This year, the Giardini pavilion, designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1953, is transformed into a sports bar. Titled "SIDELINED: A Space to Rethink Togetherness", the exhibition is curated by Amanda Pinatih, Design & Contemporary Art Curator at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, in collaboration with social designer Gabriel Fontana. Through a queer lens, the project examines sport as an architectural system that regulates spaces, bodies, and behavior, offering an alternative perspective on societal norms related to gender, identity, and group dynamics.
