MVRDV has revealed design for a pink-colored urban staircase and stage on the roof of Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 

Called The Podium, the project will be a 600-square-metre new temporary event space will grace the roof of Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, which will be programmed by a variety of Rotterdam institutions and creatives. 

Made of a striking pink colour, the staircase will reach at a height of 29 metres and will  be accessed via 143 steps -  a striking pink color will increase the visibility of The Podium, located adjacent MVRDV-designed art storage building Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. 

The Podium enables the use of a rooftop that has never before been accessible to the public, according to MVRDV. 

"It offers a unique opportunity to experience architecture, the city, the Museumpark and Het Nieuwe Instituut from a completely new perspective," said MVRDV. 

The Podium will open on June 1st, forming the heart of the Rotterdam Architecture Month Festival, and it will continue to be used for events until August 17th.

"The roofs of Rotterdam have enormous potential, especially those of Het Nieuwe Instituut. With the panoramic view from its distinctive pergola, the building by Jo Coenen inspired the design team to create a platform 29 metres high," MVRDV added.

The 600-square-metre platform has enough capacity to host a variety of events and meetings. It offers a view of the city, of the Museumpark, and of the neighbouring MVRDV-designed Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen.

The Podium will be supported on a structure of scaffolding with floor finishes that can later be recycled. 

Visitors will access The Podium via an urban exterior staircase, a temporary elevator, or via The Living Archive of a Studio – a collaborative exhibition curated by MVRDV and HNI that shows MVRDV’s early works – which is currently on display on the top floor. 

"The Podium represents the ambition of Het Nieuwe Instituut to increase public knowledge about architecture," MVRDV explained. 

"It is also a demonstration of 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 while creating opportunities to add greenery, water management, and much-needed building functions."

Rotterdam Architecture Month will be the first user of The Podium, which the event starts on June 1st, 2022.

Throughout the month, The Podium will be the heart of the festival, hosting lectures, tours, films, and other activities focused on architecture. 

In July and August, The Podium will also be open for other activities, from sports classes and rooftop dinners to a programme specifically designed for children.

The installation is a continuation of MVRDV tradition on staircases. In 2016, the studio designed The Stairs with 180 steps leading up from the Stationsplein, outside Rotterdam Central Station. The giant structure was built to commemorate 75 years of the reconstruction of Rotterdam. 

Right before The Podium, May 26th will see the opening of the Rotterdam Rooftop Walk, an initiative of the Rotterdam Rooftop Days with a design by MVRDV. 

Scheme for circulation

This installation will give free access for a month to a series of neighbouring roofs in the city centre that are normally closed to the public, allowing visitors to experience how making use of the rooftops can contribute to a better future for cities and city dwellers. 

The Rooftop Walk also has symbolic and educational objectives, with the intention of showing people the potential of rooftops and the need to make better use of them. 

This fits in with Rotterdam’s ambition to give the large area of flat roofs in the city a function: public programming, water storage, energy production, or greenery. 

Scheme for meeting

Sustainability is also an important factor for the Rotterdam Rooftop Walk; like The Podium, the material from the rooftop walk will be reused.

Scheme for Sunday

Floor plan

Floor plan

Floor plan

Floor plan

The Podium at Het Nieuwe Instituut is made possible in part by 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.

In April 2021, Aric Chen was appointed as new general and artistic director of Het Nieuwe Instituut. 

All images © MVRDV

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