Rotterdam will get a £204m ‘New Wonder of the World’

Rotterdam is set to get a £204 million riverside attraction made up of seven huge, rounded structures stacked like boulders and covered with trees and plants. Named Rotterdam ROCKS!, it will contain exhibitions, viewing terraces, restaurants and a hotel. MVRDV designed the project for Shift, a social enterprise that uses public experiences and practical examples to encourage more sustainable ways of living and doing business.

What Rotterdam ROCKS! Will Include

• Official name: Rotterdam ROCKS!
• Type: Cultural attraction, hotel and public riverside space
• Organisation behind the project: Shift
• Architect: MVRDV with Arup, Arcadis, DGMR, SB&Co and Joris Laarman Lab
• Planned launch: 2032
• Estimated budget: €240 million
• Building area: 25,000 square metres
• Main attraction: 5,000-square-metre Elysium immersive experience
• Accommodation: 200-room hotel
• Public access: Exterior route and viewing terrace
• Admission price: Not announced
• Status: In progress, with pre-design under way

The seven hollow structures will contain exhibition and hospitality spaces connected by cave-like interiors. Plans include the Elysium experience, a hotel, education and conference rooms, community areas, a food court, restaurant and observation deck. Outside, a separate public path will climb around planted terraces to a viewing platform. Niches across the building’s surface are intended to hold soil, water, plants and habitats for birds, insects and other animals.

The exterior walkway and elevated terraces would add a new viewpoint over the Maas and Rotterdam’s skyline, while the galleries offer another indoor attraction in poor weather. Its Waterkant location could also fit into Rotterdam’s architecture trail, including the Cube Houses and Markthal. The planned hotel, restaurant and public riverside areas would give visitors enough to do at the site beyond stopping briefly for photographs.

Rotterdam ROCKS! is still at an early design stage, so the 2032 launch leaves plenty of time for the programme, access arrangements and construction details to change. A local participation process is due to begin in autumn 2026, and no ticket price has been published. It is worth watching as a future Rotterdam landmark, but not yet something around which flights or accommodation should be booked.