MVRDV Designs Vibrant Rooftop Installation at the Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam

Dutch architecture office MVRDV has developed a temporary rooftop platform on the Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam to kick off Rotterdam Architecture this upcoming June. The 600-square-meter event area titled The Podium will be elevated 29 meters and coated in a neon-pink hue, making it visible to all passersby on ground level. The project will be available to the public on June 1st, coinciding with the start of the Rotterdam Architecture Month Festival, and will be utilized for events through August 17th.

The Podium will provide visitors with a fresh viewpoint of the city, panoramic views of the skyline, the Museumpark, the Het Nieuwe Instituut, and the surrounding MVRDV-designed Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Its striking design was inspired by the building it sits on, originally designed by Jo Coenen. The building presents MVRDV's "ambition to make better use of the city’s rooftops, an important approach to densifying the city that will allow it to develop sustainably by preventing urban sprawl and creating opportunities to add greenery and water management, and much-needed building functions."

The platform, which will be accessible by an outside 143-step stairway, a temporary elevator, or The Living Archive of a Studio, will be created on scaffolding with recycled floor finishes following the festival. The platform's events will be programmed by a range of Rotterdam institutions and creatives and will include lectures, tours, films, and other architecture-related activities, as well as sports courses, dinners, and children's programs.

MVRDV announced another temporary rooftop intervention for Rotterdam Architecture Month earlier this year, which takes visitors and residents on a walk across several rooftops in Rotterdam, showcasing a new part of the public realm. An aerial bridge will connect the roof of The Bijenkorf department store to the top of the World Trade Centre plinth as part of the project.

The Podium team includes Dura Vermeer, Dutch Steigers, Fonds 21, the City of Rotterdam, MVRDV, Rotterdam Architecture Month, Rotterdam Festivals, Rotterdam Partners, Stichting Job Dura Fonds, Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot, Stichting Volkskracht, and the VriendenLoterij.