Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has revealed its design for the Schieblocks office building in Rotterdam—a collection of stacked, vibrant blocks set to rise beside Rotterdam Centraal station.
Spanning 150 metres along the city’s railway line, Schieblocks will offer 47,000 square metres of private office space, complemented by commercial areas at ground level and a publicly accessible green roof.
The project, developed in collaboration with Dutch studio SYNRG, is envisioned by MVRDV as a “3D neighbourhood of offices.” According to the studio, Schieblocks is the largest new private office building currently under construction in the Netherlands.
“Fitting a building into this narrow site alongside the railway was a significant challenge,” said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas.
“Schieblocks will bring a burst of colour to the city. This is the first impression travelers will have of Rotterdam as they arrive by train: a place that is diverse, vibrant, and bold.”
Visualisations of the 61-metre-tall building show 11 colourful blocks arranged in four horizontal layers, each featuring different facade treatments.
MVRDV states that the building’s colourful palette was inspired by American artist Donald Judd’s furniture series, while the diverse facade patterns reference Rotterdam’s architectural heritage.
One of the blocks features bay windows that pay homage to a nearby historic building by Dutch architect Huig Maaskant.
Another block will echo the sandstone tone of Rotterdam’s city hall and incorporate hexagonal window frames arranged to spell out ‘010’, the city’s telephone code.
Three of the building’s facades will integrate Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels to generate electricity for the offices, while two
