rotterdam’s next landmark could be one of these radical proposals by MVRDV or heatherwick

five proposals for rotterdam: a city shaped by water

Five finalist designs have been unveiled for the Shift Landmark, an ambitious project planned for Rotterdam’s growing Waterkant district along its southern waterfront. Driven by the sustainability-focused enterprise Shift, the project’s finalists include MVRDV, Heatherwick Studio, Office for Political Innovation, Mecanoo, and Ecosistema Urbano. It’s imagined as a large-scale destination dedicated to circular living, and is planned to span between 25,000 and 30,000 square meters and combine an ‘immersive exhibition’ environment with a hotel and public space.

The proposed site is found beside a new tidal park, within a larger urban expansion that will bring housing, schools, cultural venues, and a train station to this stretch of riverfront. The team notes that because Rotterdam is a city whose policy and architecture is shaped by water management, the ambition carries a special weight. Much of the Netherlands lies at or below sea level, and Rotterdam’s geography continues to inform its urban fabric.

MVRDV

MVRDV’s ‘Rotterdam ROCKS!’ envisions the Shift Landmark a stacked landscape of porous volumes described as living rocks. The scheme suggests mass broken into inhabitable fragments, allowing air, light, and vegetation to circulate through the structure. In a city known for bold geometries and infrastructural clarity, the approach reads as both contextual and experimental.

MVRDV, Rotterdam ROCKS!

Heatherwick studio

Heatherwick Studio imagines an ‘Urban Reef,’ organized as six layers of activity that support one another like a reef ecosystem. The concept draws on natural flows of movement, proposing stacked zones that accommodate gathering, learning, and reflection.

The image of a reef suggests density and interdependence. Architecturally, this could translate into stratified circulation and textured facades that encourage occupation at multiple heights. The proposal lines up with the spirit of Rotterdam, a city defined largely  by experimental waterfront interventions along with radical architecture that’s at once expressive and civic-minded.

Heatherwick Studio, Urban Reef

Office for Political Innovation

Office for Political Innovation presents ‘Planetary Landmark for the Climate Age,’ described as a working section through a changing world. The concept positions climate as something that can be sensed and reshaped collectively within the building’s spatial sequence.

Office for Political Innovation, Planetary Landmark for the Climate Age

mecanoo

Mecanoo’s ‘House of Shift Rotterdam’ places upcycling, carbon storage, and energy neutrality at the center of its design language. The proposal frames the building as an icon shaped by material cycles, with spaces dedicated to exploration and public engagement.

Mecanoo, House of Shift Rotterdam

ecosistema urbano

ecosistema urbano proposes ‘A Living Landmark,’ conceived as a regenerative system that integrates public space and ecological performance. The scheme imagines the building as an evolving social organism, where biodiversity and civic life coexist within a continuous framework.

In spatial terms, this approach implies layered terraces, planted surfaces, and porous boundaries between inside and outside. The emphasis rests on environmental feedback, where the building’s performance becomes visible through vegetation, water management, and shared platforms.

ecosistema urbano, A Living Landmark

ecosistema urbano, A Living Landmark

project info:

name: Shift Landmark

client: Shift

finalists: MVRDV, Heatherwick Studio, Mecanoo, ecosistema urbano, Office for Political Innovation

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