autoevolution
 

Stacked Boxes With a Sea View: The New Rotterdam Harbour Experience Centre

We're used to seeing buildings shaped like blocks everywhere. However, this new design from Rotterdam-based architecture practice MVRDV is taking things one step further. These five boxes, irregularly stacked on top of each other, will form the Harbour Experience Centre, which will be located in Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
MVRDV will design the new Harbour Experience Centre which will be made of five floors that resemble boxes stackes on top of each other 12 photos
Photo: MVRDV
Renderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience CentreRenderings of the Harbour Experience Centre
FutureLand, an information center that opened more than a decade ago, is the project's predecessor. Because of the popularity of FutureLand, a more comprehensive information center with a larger, permanent exhibition was needed to teach visitors about Europe's largest port.

The new Harbour Experience Centre will open its doors in a widely known location on the beach, and it will stand out from the flat surroundings. It will occupy a 3,533 square meters (38,029 square feet) area, and each of the five boxes will represent a floor. Windows are designed for each side of the building, offering a panoramic view towards Rotterdam's buzzing harbor.

Its floors will be strategically stacked. The ground floor café will be facing westward, so people will be able to watch the North Sea and the dunes. Those on the fourth floor will see both the North Sea and the harbor's lights during the evening. A wide atrium will function as an exhibition space in the building's center, and it will have an explanatory kinetic sculpture hanging in the middle, with a model of the Port of Rotterdam underfoot.

There will be staircases surrounding the building on the outside and on the inside leading to the rooftop. While climbing up to the rooftop, visitors will be able to take a look at the exhibition inside.

MVRDV claims that the building will be energy-neutral, with steel donated from demolished structures being utilized in its construction. Parts of the façade panels will be made of recycled materials, while the ceilings will be built with recycled paper.

The building's structure will be demountable so that its components can be reused, and the façade panels will be returned to the manufacturer at the end of the building's lifespan. The energy used will be produced by 266 solar panels and its own windmill.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Florina Spînu
Florina Spînu profile photo

Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories