World-renowned architecture practice MVRDV has presented free giveaway of artworks to celebrate its 25 anniversary last month. The firm is 25 years old now, and they designed and completed amazing and innovative projects all over the world. 

In honour of its 25th anniversary, the firm has selected 25 images of popular designs to create 25 artworks that can be downloaded and printed by fans of the office. The first five artworks can be downloaded from the firm's press room and is available to the public. MVRDV will add new pieces every month to its press room. 

Video courtesy of MVRDV

The first five artworks of MVRDV projects include Public Art Depot in Rotterdam, Comic and Animation Museum in China, Valley in Amsterdam, The Sax in Rotterdam.

Public Art Depot in Rotterdam

Whatever MVRDV designs—whether a single building or a master plan for an entire city—the aim is to "show how it can be done better". Alongside their drive for experimentation, sustainability and humour, the firm always considers the human dimension and the impact that architecture has on users of a building.

"Every project is unique. We have a social and progressive office that experiments as much as possible," explained Winy Maas. 

"MVRDV does not have a fixed style that we use for everything. Our approach is that each project can vary in form and style," said Jacob van Rijs.  

"We want to surprise people—architecture is not something static or historical for us. We do not like to look back, but rather fantasize about the future," concluded Nathalie de Vries.

Comic and Animation Museum in China

For MVRDV, architecture is an applied art that only really comes to life when it is used and is always created through a close dialogue with the client. 

The wishes and needs of the users are central to the design. If, in the past two-and-a-half decades, there was one genre in which MVRDV excelled, then it was in multifunctional buildings—where living and working, shops and catering, culture and leisure are not separate parts, but are logically connected to each other. 

Valley in Amsterdam

The firm has also designed masterplans and public spaces, and was one of the first to think about the “vertical city”, in which nature is added to roofs and elsewhere in a building to make both the building and the city greener and more liveable.

MVRDV has grown from its initial modest family into an office with more than 225 employees in Rotterdam, Shanghai and Paris. In addition to the three founders, for the past 2 years there have been four partners: Frans de Witte, Fokke Moerel, Wenchian Shi and Jan Knikker. 

The Sax in Rotterdam

While MVRDV attracts young architects from worldwide who want to work for “the pop stars of architecture”—a nickname they received after their design of the Dutch pavilion for the World Expo in Hannover—the family feeling has remained. 

At the head office in Rotterdam, staff still eat lunch together—and the lunch table in the heart of the building has grown along with the number of employees.

"After 25 years, MVRDV is still ambitious. The firm wants to design museums, concert halls, and libraries to which people want to travel, residential areas that residents are proud of, offices in which people like to work," said MVRDV. 

"But despite their world renown, MVRDV still designs a variety of affordable buildings, including housing, characterized by diversity." 

"The belief of the office is that architects are irrelevant if they do not take part in the world’s big challenges. Under the banner of The Why Factory and in partnership with universities, MVRDV wants to think more about the city of the future. Whether they are designing a single house, an office complex, a shopping street, a residential area, or an entire city, their approach is always tailor-made for each project—now and for the next 25 years, because architecture is always on the move."

Public Art Depot in Rotterdam

Attention-grabbing iconic projects have brought MVRDV international recognition. These projects include Villa VPRO (1993), Expo 2000 (2000), Silodam (2002), Book Mountain (2012), the Markthal (2014), Ku.be House of Culture and Movement (2016), Crystal Houses (2016), Seoullo 7017 (2017), the Bałtyk (2017) and the Tianjin Binhai Library (2017). 

On the other hand were smaller designs such as De Effenaar (2005), Didden Village (2006), the entrance of Stedelijk Museum Schiedam (2013), the Glazen Boerderij (2013), Casa Kwantes (2016), and Salt (2018). 

The master plans developed by MVRDV for cities include The Waterwijk neighbourhood in The Hague-Ypenburg (2005), Flight Forum Eindhoven (2005), Grand Paris (2008), Almere Oosterwold (2011), the residential area Nieuw Leyden (2013) and Overschild (2018).

Top image: MVRDV House, their new offices in central Rotterdam. Image © Ossip van Duivenbode

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