Rotterdam, Netherlands - The consortium led by MVRDV has won the international design competition for the Shift Embassy in Rotterdam. The winning vision, Rotterdam ROCKS!, gives shape to a unique landmark along the Maas that places the relationship between people and nature at its core. Designed as a green, rocky and publicly accessible landscape, it features terraces, water, planting, exhibitions, viewpoints and gathering spaces that invite visitors to actively engage with their surroundings.
At the heart of the programme is The Elysium, a 5,000 m² immersive experience that encourages visitors not only to understand a possible sustainable future, but to experience it firsthand. The Shift Embassy will also include a 200-room hotel, educational facilities, spaces for business events and community activities, hospitality venues, and an observation deck. In doing so, the project aims to contribute to the societal and ecological transformations needed to create a more resilient and sustainable future.
We are proud that Arcadis is part of the winning consortium, consisting of MVRDV, Arup, Arcadis, DGMR, Studio Bertels and Joris Laarman Labs. Our team is contributing to the landscape architecture and cost consultancy of the project. The design process has now begun, and over the coming months we will continue working together on the development of this ambitious project, which will become part of Waterkant, a new urban district on the south bank of the Maas.
