Following its initial reveal back in March, MVRDV has now put the finishing touches to The Podium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The eye-catching structure is installed on top of the Het Nieuwe Instituut cultural center and offers visitors views of the firm's adjacent Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen and the surrounding area.
The Podium came about because the Het Nieuwe Instituut is hosting an exhibition of MVRDV's designs on the top floor, however ongoing construction work outside means that there were concerns the exhibition would be overshadowed. The firm therefore added the parasitic architecture on top of the building to help draw attention to the exhibition and offer another means of accessing it that bypasses the construction work.
The 600-sq-m (roughly 6,400-sq-ft) space is situated on top of the cultural center's distinctive pergola structure at a height of 29 m (95 ft) and is accessed either by climbing an exterior staircase, using a temporary elevator, or from within the cultural center itself.
Echoing MVRDV's recent Rooftop Walk, The Podium is primarily constructed from scaffolding, which will be reused once the project comes to an end, and it sports recyclable floor finishes. Its overall design was inspired by the Het Nieuwe Instituut's own form, as well as the superb views that are available from its roof. It can be seen as a continuation of the firm's ongoing passion for utilizing rooftop spaces.
"The installation fits with a tradition that MVRDV has built up in the programming of the rooftop landscape," explained architect Gijs Rikken, associate design director at MVRDV. "In Rotterdam it started in 2006 with the blue rooftop extension Didden Village, followed by the Stairs to Kriterion in 2016. This year we will enhance the rooftops with the orange Rooftop Walk and the pink Podium. We want to bring more attention to this second layer of the city with color and special installations: if we make it greener, more sustainable, and more connected, the city will become more livable for everyone."
The Podium was created for Rotterdam Architecture Month and will host various activities and performances over the coming weeks, including yoga, the NN North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Source: MVRDV
