

Rotterdam: A City Full of Fantastic Architectural Experiments
Rotterdam: A City Full of Fantastic Architectural Experiments
Rotterdam, Netherlands, July 2022
Rotterdam, Netherlands, July 2022
There’s so much to say about Rotterdam. About the Markthal, with its futuristic design and colorful ceiling mural. Apartments are built around and even on top of the hall, each with at least one window looking down into the bustling marketplace below. Imagine watching the daily hustle from your living room.
Or about the Cube Houses, those tilted yellow cubes set at a 45-degree angle, designed to resemble trees—gray trunks at the base with entrances and stairwells, and above them, “treetops” unfolding into three-story homes.
Or about "De Pot", the bowl-shaped depot of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, with its striking mirrored facade. Inside, 151,000 objects are stored across seven floors—not in traditional exhibitions, but in open-view storage. Large windows reveal shelves filled with art, and visitors can watch conservators at work. On the day of my visit, I saw famous paintings—from the back. Thankfully, from the front as well. And from the rooftop garden, 40 meters high, the view over Rotterdam’s skyline is spectacular.
Rotterdam is a city that doesn’t cling to the past. After being almost entirely rebuilt after the war, it chose progress over nostalgia. While other Dutch cities are known for canals and gabled houses, Rotterdam experiments, shifts, tilts, and reflects. The results aren’t always beautiful—but they’re always fascinating.































































