Portlantis connects Rotterdam’s Past, Present & Future
The city of Rotterdam is set to open Portlantis, a monumental exhibition space designed by MVRDV to honor the maritime legacy and future of the port city. designboom visited the building ahead of its upcoming public opening on March 22nd, 2025 to tour the space with architect Winy Maas. Located along the coast, the building is ‘a museum with no collection.’ It tells the story about the city’s relationship with the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port. Visitors are immersed in the city’s industrial context and its global connections through an innovative design that is as much about the architecture as it is about the narratives within.
MVRDV’s design for Portlantis is built around a key principle — content and form are inseparable, creating a cohesive narrative space. Unlike traditional museums where a building is designed first, and exhibitions follow, Portlantis was conceived as a living, dynamic hub. The architecture itself plays an integral role in telling the story, shaping the experience as visitors interact with the building and its surroundings. The space is not only a venue for exhibitions but also a meeting point for diverse groups — students, port authorities, politicians, and visitors — engaging in discussions and learning. The design integrates exhibition areas with communal spaces to create an interconnected experience.
image © designboom
mvrdv shapes A Stack of Rotating Boxes
The architects at MVRDV shape Portlantis as a stack of rotating boxes, each oriented toward unique views over the Port of Rotterdam. Inside, each level is connected by a central atrium, creating a layered storytelling experience with complex vertical and diagonal perspectives. The first floor focuses on Rotterdam’s current port activities, while the second floor explores the port’s historical impact. The third floor looks forward, addressing the future of the port and its evolving role in a global context.
Lead architect Winy Maas explains that he took inspiration from the sprawling infrastructure of the Rotterdam port, where massive boxes and containers dominate the landscape. ‘I hiked and biked all over the gigantic infrastructure,’ Mass says, presenting the project ahead of its completion in Rotterdam. ‘It’s the opposite of the ‘cuteness’ of the Netherlands. Because of this size of the port landscape, we wanted to make something ‘cute.’ How could we compete with the huge windmills and gigantic boxes of infrastructure?‘
the project by MVRDV takes shape as a stack of rotating boxes
exhibits showcase the complex workings of the port
Responding to its site, the building is constructed from resilient materials sourced from the port itself, designed to withstand the harsh winds, salt, and dust of the maritime environment. The carefully oriented ‘windows to the world’ frame views of the road, the river, the port, the dunes, and the sea, offering a panoramic experience that ties each exhibition to a unique and corresponding view.
Upon entering the journey of Portlantis from its ground-level lobby, visitors emerge into a dramatic atrium, which MVRDV plans as a visual and spatial anchor. Suspended yellow sculptures within the atrium evoke the feeling of standing beside the enormous structures of Rotterdam’s port, with the scale of the suspended objects providing a disorienting sense of perspective. The dynamic movement of these objects symbolizes the perpetual motion of the port, an ever-changing hub of activity. This atrium can be seen from all levels, with each perspective offering new insights into the building’s story.
a central atrium soars throughout the entire building
On the first level of Portlantis, visitors are introduced to a dramatic scale model of Rotterdam and its port. The atrium’s height and open design set the tone for what is to come, with a low, floating sculpture of a ship helping to reduce the acoustics within the vast space.
The first level explores the contemporary workings of the port, with an emphasis on the industrial and logistical operations that define Rotterdam’s role as a global port. The level includes interactive areas, including an ‘oil to anything’ display which demonstrates how oil plays a crucial role in the production and exchange of goods. A vibrant orange pipe threads throughout the level, with sections of transparency to display scale models of the boats and trucks used in the port’s operations. Other interactive exhibits, such as ‘job spots’ with VR representatives, allow visitors to learn more about the specific roles within the port.
educational exhibition spaces connect visitors to the surrounding Port of Rotterdam
As visitors continue to ascend through MVRDV’s Portlantis, the second level brings the industrial impact of Rotterdam’s port into sharper focus. With views overlooking the busy container terminals, this floor explores the economic and logistical importance of the port. One key exhibit illustrates the complex network of materials and components that make up everyday products, like a bicycle, which is sourced from multiple regions worldwide. Interactive installations help visitors understand how interconnected the global supply chain is and how Rotterdam serves as a critical link. The inclusion of a children’s workshop and lab offers younger visitors hands-on experiences related to the port’s operations and the science behind the products it produces.
The third level of Portlantis takes a more analytical approach, with a focus on data and statistics. Here, visitors can interact with games and exhibits that explain how the port influences their daily lives, with approximately sixty percent of products in Western Europe being connected to Rotterdam’s operations. This floor highlights the complex logistics behind manufacturing familiar items, demonstrating the port’s role in global trade and its impact on local economies. A detailed exhibit showcases the materials and journey required to assemble a bicycle, underscoring the intricate network that makes even simple products possible.
one exhibit illustrates the complex network of materials and components that make up everyday products
On the fourth floor, Portlantis looks to the future, specifically the environmental challenges facing the Rotterdam port. The exhibition addresses how Rotterdam’s port must transition away from fossil fuels by 2050 to meet the carbon neutrality targets set by the Paris Agreement. Divided into five key themes — electrification, hydrogen, recycling, CO2 storage, and the reuse of waste heat — this floor explores potential solutions to create a sustainable, ‘futureproof’ port. The exhibits are designed to inspire visitors to think critically about the environmental challenges and the innovative technologies that can drive change.
The top level of Portlantis features a restaurant that can accommodate 150 people, offering a scenic panoramic view of the port and beyond. The restaurant’s design allows for the windows to open, creating an airy, balcony-like experience for visitors. Above, an accessible rooftop lends a fitting conclusion to the educational journey through the building, allowing visitors to overlook all of what they’ve learned about the port and its crucial role in shaping the world we live in today.