Looks like an alien utopia: Dutch architecture firm MVRDV is creating a new nature-inclusive landmark in Rotterdam

Let the riverside park “climb” up the building

Images from / MVRDV

Shift Embassy is located in a former harbor district in southern Rotterdam that is being transformed. In response to the city’s “The Green Maas” vision of bringing parks, waterways, and natural habitats back to the banks of the Meuse River, MVRDV came up with an interesting idea: the riverside landscape doesn’t have to stop at the water’s edge. It can enter the building and grow upward through planted terraces, public walkways, water-circulation systems, and habitats, creating a “vertical park” open to everyone.

The seven giant rocks hide a cave adventure

Images from / MVRDV

The seven rocks may appear to be stacked at random, yet they follow a clear spatial logic. The building is primarily made up of two functions: exhibition experiences and accommodations. The staggered rocks create numerous terraces, overhangs, and open spaces, allowing sunlight, air, and plants to reach deep into the building. Each rock also contains a “cave” at its center. Visitors can make their way through stairs, ramps, terraces, and galleries, moving between enclosed caves and open views while taking in the Meuse River and Rotterdam cityscape along the way. The building will also include The Elysium, a 5,000-square-meter immersive experience space, a 200-room hotel, restaurants, and public gathering spaces.

Images from / MVRDV

The rock surfaces are also home to plants and animals

Images from / MVRDV

These rounded rock forms aren’t just designed to catch the eye; they’re also an “environmental tool.” Surfaces at different angles create microclimates with varying levels of sun, shade, wind, and humidity, with suitable soils, plants, and water systems selected for each condition. The building’s skin is also covered in grooves, openings, and platforms to store and filter rainwater, accommodate plant roots, and even provide habitat for birds, bats, and insects. All that greenery is no longer simply decoration draped over the building; space for different forms of life has been built into the design from the start.

More than sustainability: turning a building into a “living laboratory”

Images from / MVRDV

Faced with the carbon emissions generated by new construction itself, MVRDV has not simply defined Rotterdam ROCKS! as a “sustainable landmark.” Instead, it proposes the concept of “Biotopia,” imagining the building as a living organism that stores water, provides shade, regulates microclimates, and nurtures habitats. The project will also test methods including reused steel, low-carbon concrete, bio-based materials, and circular construction, while a central monitoring system will publicly share real-time data on energy, water cycles, biodiversity, and material performance.

Images from / MVRDV