Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Architect: MAD architects.

The Fenix warehouse in Rotterdam, built in 1923, was once the largest warehouse in the world and has a rich history intertwined with the city’s past. MAD Architects’ renovation of the warehouse aims to connect the building’s history with the present, while preserving its iconic green steel windows and concrete structure. The renovation includes the addition of a glass curtain wall and ceiling in the center of the building, creating a flexible and accessible space. The centerpiece of the renovation is a striking spiral staircase structure that extends from the ground and forms an observation deck at the top. The staircase breaks down the massive scale of the original warehouse, adding more human-scale and intimate spaces. The FENIX Museum of Migration is also integrated into the surrounding community with a high degree of accessibility, with public entrances from both the riverside and the city. The ground floor combines creativity, culture, and culinary spaces to offer diverse activities, and to make art a part of people’s daily lives. After its completion, the museum will hold an exhibition on the theme of “movement,” with contemporary artworks and archives curated in collaboration with local and international art institutions.

Photo credit: MAD Architects.