MVRDV completes Pujiang Platform, a timber event pavilion and viewing structure embedded into the hills east of Pujiang, southwest of Chengdu, China. Conceived as an architectural extension of the terrain itself, the 414-square-meter pavilion uses earth-covered timber arches to reconstruct the silhouette of a hill that was previously flattened, while framing panoramic views toward the growing town below and the Qionglai Mountains beyond.

Set within a landscape that is rapidly transforming as Pujiang develops into a new sustainable town, the project aims to offer residents and visitors a place for gatherings, ceremonies, and civic use, and to do so with minimal visual and environmental impact. MVRDV shapes the building as a telescopic form that appears almost geological when seen from afar, while becoming legible as a civic structure through its large viewing window and projecting balcony. At night, light spilling from this opening turns the pavilion into a landmark, visible from the plains below without dominating the landscape.‘The hills of this region are truly a spectacular sight, so one of the challenges we faced was to make the most of those views while reducing the impact on the landscape. By adding a hill-shaped pavilion with a green roof we not only minimise our own impact, but we recreated the hill that was there before,’ MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs notes. ‘This act of preserving and respecting nature is the essence of the design, which is continued in the construction approach, using bio-based materials such as wood that are more sustainable and thus have less impact on natural environments such as this one.’

all images © Arch-Exist

rebuilding a flattened hill in Chengdu, China

MVRDV’s design originates from a site-specific observation. The original viewpoint had required cutting into the hill, erasing part of its natural profile. The architects’ response was to reverse that by recreating the missing mass as architecture. An arched timber structure is wrapped in an earth berm and planted roof, restoring the hill while housing an interior space beneath. The pavilion is entered discreetly through a glazed facade embedded into the berm, leading into an interior that slopes with the terrain. The floor descends as the ceiling rises, forming a stepped tribune oriented toward a 10-meter-tall glass facade. Oversized sliding doors allow the interior to open fully onto the balcony, enabling the space to shift between enclosed events and open-air gatherings.

Circulation and landscape are treated as integral parts of the architectural experience. The team retains and extends existing paths on the site, forming a loop that leads visitors through multiple approaches to the viewpoint. A twisting staircase connects these routes and culminates in a secondary circular viewing platform, offering 360-degree views across both the distant mountain range and the immediate hillside environment. Planting strategies reinforce continuity with the surrounding ecology, using species that reflect the existing biodiversity.

MVRDV completes Pujiang Platform in China

timber construction and passive environmental strategies

The green roof, with a soil depth of approximately 10 centimeters, supports grasses, flowers, and small shrubs, while existing waterways are incorporated into rainwater collection and irrigation systems. Material choice plays a critical role in both the environmental and cultural positioning of the project. The timber structure is intended to reduce embodied carbon and also to act as a built demonstration within a context where wood construction remains underutilized. Operational performance is supported through a combination of passive and active strategies. The earth berm provides insulation and thermal mass, layered ceilings enable natural ventilation, and the north-facing orientation of the main façade minimizes unwanted solar gain. Additional energy demands are partially met by a geothermal heat pump, contributing to the project’s China Green Building Label 2-star certification. 

a timber event pavilion and viewing structure

embedded into the hills east of Pujiang, southwest of Chengdu

conceived as an architectural extension of the terrain itself

uses earth-covered timber arches form the pavilion

reconstructing the silhouette of a hill that was previously flattened

set within a landscape that is rapidly transforming

framing panoramic views toward the growing town below and the Qionglai Mountains beyond

the project aims to offer residents and visitors a place for gathering

MVRDV shapes the building as a telescopic form that appears almost geological when seen from afar

a twisting staircase connects routes and culminates in a secondary circular viewing platform

offering 360-degree views

the team retains and extends existing paths on the site

planting strategies reinforce continuity with the surrounding ecology

oversized sliding doors allow the interior to open fully onto the balcony

an arched timber structure wrapped in an earth berm and planted roof

project info:

name: Pujiang Platform

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

co-architect: Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. – SADI

location: Pujiang, China

area: 414 sqm

client: Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau

sustainability certification: China Green Building Label – 2 Stars

contractor: Chengdu Third Construction Engineering of CDCEG

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

partner: Wenchian Shi

director MVRDV Shanghai: Peter Chang

design team: Kyo Suk Lee, Olga Marelja, Geert Folmer, Guido Boeters, Cai Zheli, Shanshan Wu, Alexander Forsch, Ilaria Furbetta, Yihong Chen, Jiamen Li, Shing Yat Tam, Yifei Zhang, Cai Huang, Seunghan Yeum, Gioele Colombo, Xinyuan Zhang

MVRDV climate: Alexander Forsch

photographer: © Arch-Exist| @archexist

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MVRDV advances a series of projects for the Plum Village Buddhist Monastery in southern Dordogne, France, where construction approval has now been granted for the first components of a long-term collaboration. The work spans two masterplans for the Upper and Lower Hamlets, along with a new nunnery, four guest houses, and a renovated book shop.

Developed with Bordeaux-based co-architect MoonWalkLocal, the proposals reflect the monastery’s emphasis on circular materials and sensitive intervention in a rural landscape.

The collaboration emerged from extended stays by the design team, who joined daily routines in both hamlets to understand how visitors and monastics experience the site. This immersion shaped an architectural direction grounded in serene spatial organization, timber construction, and attention to seasonal rhythms.

Nunnery | image © MVRDV

mindful architecture that benefits nature by mvrdv

MVRDV‘s masterplans for the Upper and Lower Hamlets of the Plum Village study atmosphere, and ecological conditions at close range. Paths are reconfigured to ease arrival, with vehicle routes shifted away from communal areas to foster uninterrupted circulation on foot.

Areas with distinct characters are outlined with care, ranging from contemplative gardens to working zones that accommodate deliveries with reduced intrusion. Strategies for climate resilience are integrated through landscape measures such as bird habitats that limit mosquito populations, along with planned placements for solar panels.

In each hamlet, the new arrangements respond to pressures created by annual retreats, which can draw up to 800 participants. The current strain on sleeping quarters and shared spaces is addressed through expanded accommodation and a clearer spatial hierarchy that supports everyday monastery rhythms.

Nunnery | image © REDVERTEX

the new nunnery

At Loubès-Bernac, MVRDV and Plum Village are preparing a new nunnery organized around a central courtyard on a sloping site. The building will house 76 monastics and aspirants, offering dormitories, a zendo, a library, and classrooms. A continuous veranda encircles the courtyard to connect living areas and frame views toward the wider landscape.

The structure adopts a prefabricated timber system with straw insulation, reducing transport and material impacts while allowing steady construction progress. The courtyard typology supports collective life, giving the residents a sheltered outdoor room that mediates between interior and terrain.

Nunnery | image © REDVERTEX

the guest houses

Four guest houses for the Upper Hamlet will be more design-minded, and will each have a distinct relationship to its immediate context. All are built in wood, arranged across two stories with rooms set around shared living areas sized for Dharma circles. Circulation occurs through exterior staircases, balconies, and shaded verandas.

The Gate House, positioned at the entrance square, includes reception spaces and work areas on the ground level with sleeping quarters above. Two Garden Houses flank the vegetable garden, each accommodating 31 guests. A third building, the Veranda House, sits deeper in the Son Ha area and extends outward with an expansive veranda that engages the surrounding landscape. Material finishes vary from one structure to the next, allowing the architecture to settle into its specific setting.

Book Shop | image © MVRDV

the book shop

In the Upper Hamlet, the existing book shop will be expanded from its current stone enclosure into a more open and welcoming sequence. A covered terrace introduces an informal gathering space for reading and conversation. Widened openings draw visitors inside, where modular wooden shelving arranges books, calligraphy, and monastery items with greater legibility.

The renovation maintains the barn’s character while adjusting its interior for circulation and display. The result strengthens the building’s role as a social meeting point for monastics and visitors.

Book Shop | image © MVRDV

Book Shop | image © MVRDV

Guest Houses, Veranda House | image © MVRDV

Guest Houses, Garden House | image © REDVERTEX

Guest Houses, Garden House | image © MVRDV

project info:

name: Plum Village Buddhist Monastery

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Dordogne, France

visualizations: © MVRDV, © REDVERTEX

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MVRDV has received approval to build Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-meter office complex set to become the largest private new office building currently under construction in the Netherlands. Rising 61 meters alongside the central railway, the project stacks 11 colorful blocks whose facades combine brick constructed from recycled material and Building Integrated Photovoltaic panels. Drawing inspiration from Donald Judd’s iconic furniture series, the bold composition forms a dynamic ‘slice’ of Rotterdam that brings color, texture, and material innovation into a vertically layered urban ensemble.

all images courtesy of MVRDV

Schiekadeblok & Rotterdam stories embedded in color and form

Located within the Schiekadeblok, a post-war district that evolved into a cult destination for creative businesses, bars, and clubs, the project BY MVRDV echoes the area’s protected character. The Dutch firm divides the long, narrow building into four horizontal segments, each with a distinct plinth and one or two blocks above, referencing the scale of the surrounding reconstruction-era architecture. Carved upper volumes respond to the angle of the sun, preventing shadows from falling on residential areas across the tracks, demonstrating a sensitive approach to densification.

Each block’s unique combination of fenestration and color references different landmarks across Rotterdam. One block features bay windows derived from Huig Maaskant’s Citrusveiling building paired with the vivid yellow of the former Luchtsingel bridge. Another uses the sandstone hue of the city hall with octagonal windows inspired by Hofplein 19 that collectively spell out ‘010,’ Rotterdam’s telephone code. This layered approach transforms the building into a catalog of local architectural memory.

Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-meter office complex for Rotterdam

Public energy at the plinth and on the roof

A transparent ground level hosts public amenities, including a concept store, bakery, and bike café, while linking to a three-level underground parking garage. At the west end, an immovable historic parking ramp from the neighboring Central Post building becomes a feature, enclosed in glass as the centerpiece of the new Wokkelbar, a spiral-shaped venue that channels Rotterdam’s gritty, improvisational spirit.

Above, a rooftop restaurant and two-story cultural space open onto a continuous green landscape by Juurlink & Geluk, complete with water-retaining surfaces, spiral connections, and a solar-panel pergola. Together, these elements signal what MVRDV calls a ‘second reconstruction’ for Rotterdam, one shaped by creativity, sustainability, and bold architectural expression.

the vibrant design draws inspiration from Donald Judd’s iconic furniture series

project info: 

name: Schieblocks
architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv 
founding partner in charge: Winy Maas
director: Gideon Maasland
design team: Gijs Rikken, Bob de Rijk, Guido Boeters, Piotr Janus, Veronica Della Ventura, Magda Porcoțeanu, Valentina Fantini, Renata Tavares, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Mirco Fachinelli, Tobias Kalmbach, Yifei Zhang, Bin Wei, Ievgeniia Koval, Rafiq Sawyerr
location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
area: 47,000 sqm

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Designed in collaboration between MVRDV and local practice ADDP Architects, two residential towers dubbed the Irwell Hill Residences rise above the dense urban weave of Singapore. The project presents a study in how modular construction can carry architectural nuance. The 36-story development, with its pixelated facades, employs prefabricated pre-finished volumetric construction, a method that allows entire rooms to be assembled off-site before being stacked into place. This way, the building process minimizes waste and labor while maintaining precision.

Commissioned by City Developments Limited, the project exemplifies Singapore’s continuing commitment to productivity-driven construction. However, the collaboration between MVRDV and ADDP Architects moves beyond efficiency to consider the towers‘ texture, depth, and relationship to light.

images © Finbarr Fallon

mvrdv’s facade of occupiable pixels

Designing Singapore’s Irwell Hill Residences with ADDP Architects, MVRDV‘s intervention lies in the articulation of the facade. Each prefabricated unit becomes a single ‘pixel,’ and through variation in projection and finish, these modules form an irregular rhythm across the building’s surface. Metal frames extend or recede to form balconies, producing a measured relief that changes throughout the day as sunlight glances across it. Gold and deep brown tones run through the pattern, referencing climbing plants and lending a soft, organic variation to the composition.

The approach transforms repetition, an inevitable trait of modularity, into an asset. Where uniformity might flatten a building’s presence, the pixelated treatment gives each tower a sense of motion and individuality within the grid.

Irwell Hill Residences uses modular construction to shape two textured towers in Singapore

punctuated by green space

Between the Singapore towers’ vertical planes, greenery marks a pause in the ascent. The 24th floor opens into a four-story sky garden where trees and planting weave through the structure, visible from the street as a band of color and texture. At the rooftop, Irwell Sky offers a more intimate space framed by double- and triple-height modules that reveal the plantings within.

These shared landscapes punctuate the complex facade with pockets of green social infrastructure. They soften the towers’ outline against the skyline and create shaded, breathable thresholds for residents, aligning with Singapore’s broader commitment to vertical greenery and liveable density.

‘Over the decades, Singapore has shown itself to be a city of incredible innovation in architecture and urbanism,’ says MVRDV founding partner Nathalie de Vries. ‘The city is once again showing leadership in modular construction, and is seeing the benefits of PPVC in reducing waste, carbon emissions, and disruption to city life. With Irwell Hill  Residences, alongside ADDP Architects we took aim at the next step in that story of innovation: a PPVC

project that prioritises variety and liveability.’

MVRDV introduces a pixelated facade that varies depth and shadow

balconies formed by recessed and projected modules create subtle relief

gold and deep brown tones bring warmth to the towers

landscaped sky gardens can be discovered along the 24th floor

Irwell Sky offers a smaller shared landscape at the rooftop

The facade design turns repetition into a source of identity

project info:

name: Irwell Hill Residences

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Singapore

completion: 2025

client: City Developments Limited

photography: © Finbarr Fallon | @fin.barr

founding partner in charge: Nathalie de Vries
partner: Wenchian Shi
design team: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Marco Gazzola, Alberto Menozzi, Luca Beltrame, Fredy Fortich, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Andrea Ventura, Monika Wiecha, Chi Zhang
visualizations: Antonio Luca Coco, Gianlorenzo Petrini

co-architect (building design, project coordination): ADDP Architects LLP | @addparchitects
landscape architect: Ecoplan
structural engineer: TW-Asia Consultants Pte Ltd.
MEP: United Project Consultants Pte Ltd.
interior architect: Index Design Pte Ltd.

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The Island by MVRDV is a forthcoming residential tower in Taichung, Taiwan, designed as a dense vertical neighborhood shaped by greenery and curved geometry. The project occupies a central urban site at the meeting point of the city’s North and Beitun districts and aims to bring a lushly planted presence within the surrounding commercial blocks.

Construction permission enables the 21-story tower, with its organically-shaped facade, to move forward, bringing a distinct approach to urban living. The Island responds to Taichung’s liveable building regulations, which encourage large swaths of outdoor space and plantings. MVRDV uses this framework to form a building that supports community, with elevated gardens, shared terraces, and a ground-level public area shaded by trees.

visualizations © Antonio Luca Coco, Luana La Martina, Angelo La Delfa, Lorenzo D’Alessandro, Ciprian Buzdugan, Stefano Fiaschi

MVRDV’s facade of glimmering ceramic tiles

The architects at MVRDV make use of ceramic tiling to shape the exterior identity of The Island tower in Taiwan. The facade uses a mosaic of irregular white pieces, with larger tiles across flat planes and finer patterns applied where the curves tighten. This system helps the envelope adjust to every bend, creating a smooth, continuous surface with a level of craft that aligns with the studio’s interest in adaptable material expression.

Soft edges define balconies, openings, and planters throughout the project. These profiles establish a clear departure from the rectilinear surroundings, giving the residential tower a gentle presence in the city. The Island uses curvature as an organizing strategy which guides the way that outdoor rooms and planted pockets are arranged along the facade.

The Island by MVRDV will introduce a curving residential tower to central Taichung

the island will bring 76 apartments to taichung

MVRDV’s The Island will bring 76 apartments to Taiwan, all elevated over two floors of shared amenities and commercial space. Residents gain access to a series of outdoor areas, including five communal balconies distributed across the height of the tower. Each one forms a three-story recess that creates spatial depth and daylight access while offering planted terraces with views over Taichung.

At the peak of the tower, a garden terrace wraps a layered green crown that functions as a multi-purpose shared space. The design encourages casual gathering and daily use, extending the building’s landscape experience into a high vantage point with breezes and expansive city views. A street-level planting strategy complements this upper zone with greenery that meets the sidewalk and frames the tower’s entrance sequence.

the project integrates extensive greenery across balconies, terraces, and a rooftop garden

104 planted balconies

The Island includes 104 private balconies with planted areas and 38 standalone facade planters. Combined with the building’s communal gardens, this system introduces a cross-section of plant species selected to reflect the variety found across Taichung’s wider region. The strategy enhances biodiversity and creates a consistent green presence that becomes part of the building’s expression from every angle.

A 13-story structure currently occupies the site and requires removal due to outdated seismic regulations. MVRDV outlines a plan to reuse material from the existing building where feasible. Stone elements from its walls and floors will be saved and employed as floor finishes within the new project, reducing construction waste and grounding the tower in the material history of its location.

a ceramic mosaic facade adapts to the tower’s soft geometry with varied tile sizes

‘The design of The Island brings a soft touch in a city full of boxes‘, says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. ‘As with other residential buildings in Taiwan, the building’s underlying layout had to follow a fairly standardised and highly efficient approach. The building’s character therefore has to come from its details, from the soft curves, from the Gaudí-inspired facade finish, and from the way greenery is integrated as if the building is part of the same organic system.’

the building will bring 76 apartments along with two floors of amenities and commercial use

material from the existing structure on site will be reused to reduce waste during construction

project info: 

project title: The Island

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Taichung City, Taiwan

client: Cheering Zu

size: 9,000 square meters

visualizations: © Antonio Luca Coco, Luana La Martina, Angelo La Delfa, Lorenzo D’Alessandro, Ciprian Buzdugan, Stefano Fiaschi; Teresa Papachristou (Graphic Design)

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

director: Gideon Maasland

head of taiwan: Hui Hsin Liao

design team: Laura Petroncini, Mark van Wasbeek, Herng Tzou, Veronica della Ventura, Piotr Janus, Francesca Cambi, Olly Veugelers, Lorenzo Mennuti, Joyce de Louw, Nicola Panico, Renata Lopes Tavares

collaborators:

co-architect: Sd-Haus, Taichung City, Taiwan

landscape architect: Ele-Garden Landscape Design

structural engineer: Dayan Engineering Consultant

MEP: Songlin Engineering Consultant

lighting consultant: LHLD Lighting Design

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MVRDV’s Grand Ballroom proposes a spherical arena of colossal scale for Tirana, Albania. Designed to replace the Asllan Rusi sports palace, the project brings together a 6,000-seat venue, hotel, apartments, and retail in a single continuous form. The sphere, over 100 meters (330 feet) in diameter, rises from a compact urban site between the city center and the airport road, appearing at once grounded and weightless.

The building’s circular volume folds gently into the landscape. Around its perimeter, open plazas and outdoor courts extend the public life of the arena. At ground level, shallow steps and shaded terraces guide visitors toward a sunken ring of cafés and shops, where the building meets the earth. The approach is choreographed through shifts in scale and level that reveal the building’s interior structure piece by piece.

visualizations © Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Ciprian Buzdugan

the grand ballroom as a spherical stack

The architects at MVRDV organize the Grand Ballroom’s programming as a stack of horizontal strata that build upward from public to private. The arena occupies the central tier — a luminous bowl enclosed by sweeping curves of seating and light-filtering structural ribs. Above, two floors of hotel rooms are suspended between the stands and the roof, their windows offering direct views into the court below. A glazed oculus at the arena’s center maintains a visual link between guests and athletes, which turn the ceiling into a shared point of focus.

Higher still, apartments are embedded within the double-shell structure of the sphere. Their circulation threads through a vast semi-outdoor dome that serves as a communal garden for residents. Mature trees, walkways, and shaded seating areas create a second landscape within the building as an inversion of the arena below. The cutouts that puncture the shell allow air and light to move freely through the interior.

MVRDV unveils a spherical mixed use arena in Tirana, Albania

inside MVRDV’s new monument for tirana

The material palette is expected to emphasize the building’s sculptural continuity — metallic panels and glass reflecting the changing Albanian light, while the internal gardens introduce warmth and softness. Seen from a distance, the Grand Ballroom reads as a luminous hemisphere rising above its context; up close, its surface reveals apertures, balconies, and recesses that respond to the rhythms of everyday use.

For founding partner Winy Maas, the project’s spherical form draws on references ranging from Boullée’s Cenotaph for Newton to Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes — monumental and iconic structures that embody collective aspiration through geometry. In Tirana, this lineage becomes a living arena for sport and community. As Mass explains, it will become a beacon and ‘a place to play, meet, and celebrate,’ Maas explains.

the 100 meter-wide sphere rises between the airport road and city center

the Grand Ballroom combines sport, housing, and hospitality in one structure

hotel rooms overlook the court through a central oculus

apartments are set within a double shell forming a shared garden dome

the arena sits at the heart of the structure with retail and cafés at ground level

cutouts in the sphere bring light and ventilation to the residential interior

project info:

name: Grand Ballroom

architects: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Tirana, Albania

client: Trema Tech shpk., Likado BV, Albanian Capital Group shpk, BCN Investments BV

status: competition winner

visualizations: © Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Ciprian Buzdugan

founding partner in charge: Winy Maas

partner: Bertrand Schippan

design team: Stavros Gargaretas, Catherine Drieux, Piotr Janus, Americo Iannazzone,

Angel Sanchez Navarro, Ana Melgarejo Lopez, Sylvain Totaro, Lola Elisa Cauneac, Miguel

del Campo Grijalbo, Stanisław Rochala

strategy and development: Maria Stamati

co-architect: UDV

artist: Hellidon Xhixha

structural engineer, cost estimator: DERBI-E

consultant: Ramboll

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Construction has begun on the MVRDV-designed campus of the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) in Heilbronn, Germany. The Dutch practice designed the masterplan for the IPAI Konsortium, the 30-hectare development will accommodate over 5,000 researchers and students dedicated to advancing responsible AI technologies.

At the heart of MVRDV’s masterplan is a large circular form, defined by two offset axes that organize the site into distinct yet connected zones. The geometry establishes a sense of cohesion across the campus while maintaining openness to the surrounding landscape. Within this framework, MVRDV envisions a network of laboratories, housing, and a cultural building that bridges the scientific community with the public.

The first construction phase defines the campus core. Buildings extend from the western edge toward a central plaza anchored by the communications centre and restaurant. Around this public space, the architects have arranged key functions: a mobility hub, start-up and innovation centre, living lab, and a ten-story office building. Together they form a legible foundation for future expansion.

MVRDV designs the masterplan with a distinctive circular shape | visualizations © IPAI / MVRDV / Vivid

mvrdv’s Human-Centric space for ‘responsible AI’ research

‘Working in AI is very technical; people spend a lot of time tied to their screens,’ MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs says, describing the spirit of the Innovation Park campus. ‘We designed the IPAI CAMPUS as a counterweight to this, with a focus on wellbeing.’

This intent is evident in the site’s pedestrian character and extensive green landscape. Wind studies informed the arrangement of open spaces to create comfortable microclimates, encouraging outdoor work and recreation. Sports facilities, shaded paths, and tactile materials bring a rhythm of movement and rest uncommon in technology campuses.

Across the site, buildings incorporate organic surfaces and visible timber structures. The tactile quality of facades, together with breezy interiors flooded with sunlight, demonstrates MVRDV’s aims toward human-scale design within a tech-driven environment.

the mobility hub serves as a central hub for logistics and infrastructure | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV / Vivid

A Family of Buildings with Distinct Identities

Each structure within the Innovation Park reveals a specific spatial logic tied to its program. The cylindrical communication centre, clad in a reflective facade, will serve as the public heart of the campus with exhibition and seminar spaces. Across the plaza, a cream-colored restaurant is carved by orange recesses that form sheltered terraces for social gatherings. The mobility hub introduces visitors through a light-filled atrium, while the living lab opens outward with panoramic glazing that allows passersby a glimpse of ongoing experiments.

The start-up and innovation centre, defined by its bright red volume and pitched roof, invites informal collaborations around a central green courtyard. Nearby, the ten-story office building’s pleated facade integrates photovoltaics and creates a shifting play of light across its surface. Inside, double-height communal ‘living rooms’ punctuate the work floors, offering moments of pause and exchange.

the communication centre will serve as the public heart of the campus | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV / Vivid

Since winning the IPAI CAMPUS competition in 2023 (see designboom’s coverage here), MVRDV has refined the masterplan through close collaboration with the IPAI Konsortium. Sustainable principals have been embedded in each design decision through the use of MVRDV’s CarbonSpace tool, which quantifies the embodied carbon of materials and guides the selection of low-impact alternatives.

As a result, several of the campus buildings employ hybrid timber construction, including the start-up and innovation centre, the living lab, and the office building. Each aims for a reduced carbon footprint without sacrificing spatial ambition. The communications centre, start-up and innovation centre, and office building are all pursuing DGNB certification from the German Sustainable Building Council.

the mobility hub introduces visitors through a light-filled atrium | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV

a restaurant is carved by orange recesses that form sheltered terraces | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV / Vivid

the ten-story office building’s pleated facade integrates photovoltaics | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV

a start-up and innovation centre shows bright red volumes and pitched roofs | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV

inside, double-height communal ‘living rooms’ punctuate the work floors | visualization © IPAI / MVRDV

project info:

name: Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI)

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Heilbronn, Germany

client: IPAI Konsortium (State of Baden-Württemberg, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, Schwarz Gruppe, the City of Heilbronn)

in collaboration with: LOLA Landscape Architects alongside Thornton Tomasetti, Studio
Animal-Aided Design, REALACE, Peutz Consult, and Gruner Deutschland

previous coverage: March 2023

The post MVRDV breaks ground on innovation park in germany, ‘the global home of human AI’ appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

MVRDV, working with HWC Architects, wins the commission to redesign the tourist infrastructure of Jialeshui, Taiwan, with their masterplan Nature Rocks!. Located on a dramatic stretch of coastline in the far south of the country, where wind and sea have sculpted sandstone into animal-like rock formations, the project proposes improved accessibility and visitor facilities while keeping all new construction within the site’s already developed footprint. By echoing the fractured, layered geology of the region, the design turns roads, paths, and buildings into rocky fragments that appear to emerge from the terrain.

all renderings by MVRDV

Jialeshui’s Coastline as a Cracked Stone Landscape

Jialeshui, part of Kenting National Park in Pingtung County, is among Taiwan’s most well-known geological parks. Visitors come for formations such as Rabbit Rock, Toad Rock, and Seal Rock, yet despite its popularity, the site has struggled with inadequate infrastructure. A narrow road currently serves as the only connection between forest and shoreline, forcing shuttle buses, cyclists, and pedestrians to share space. Small kiosks and pavilions have been damaged repeatedly by typhoons, leaving the area both congested and fragile.

WIth Nature Rocks!, the architects at MVRDV address these challenges by reshaping circulation and public spaces as a cracked stone landscape. The straight road is broken apart and re-stitched into a system of pathways that flow between forest and coast, dividing into zones for walking, cycling, shuttle buses, and rest. Some of the rock-like fragments rise into small buildings that house a visitor center, exhibition spaces, restrooms, and lookout points. The roof of the largest volume becomes a panoramic terrace for stargazing and views of the sea. At the entrance, three sculptural structures cluster together as a gateway, while along the route, new kiosks and viewpoints replace outdated facilities at existing points of interest, including the sea lookout, the stone deck, and the waterfall.

MVRDV wins the commission to redesign the tourist infrastructure of Jialeshui, Taiwan

Concrete and planting strategies complete Nature Rocks!

MVRDV carves cracks between the rock-like elements that act as passive drainage channels, helping to manage stormwater and flooding while also allowing vegetation to take root and animals to move between forest and shore. A planting strategy layers tall native trees near the forest edge, shifting to salt-tolerant species by the coast, while even the concrete structures are intended to weather and host mosses and plants over time. Concrete is selected as the only material capable of withstanding the site’s harsh climate, and its aggregate will partly be recycled from demolished buildings.

By confining interventions to previously developed areas and allowing natural systems to shape the design, MVRDV and HWC Architects aim to strengthen Jialeshui’s role as a geological park without eroding the qualities that made it famous. 

located on a dramatic stretch of coastline in the far south of the country

wind and sea have sculpted sandstone into animal-like rock formations

the project proposes improved accessibility and visitor facilities

the design turns roads, paths, and buildings into rocky fragments that appear to emerge from the terrain

MVRDV addresses challenges by reshaping circulation and public spaces

project info:

name: Nature Rocks

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Manzhou Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan

client: Pingtung County Government

founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas

director: Gideon Maasland

head of Taiwan: Hui Hsin Liao

design team: Valentina Fantini, Samuel Tam, Vivian Yang

copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries

co-architect: HWC Architects

structural engineer: Cross Structural Engineer & Associates

MEP: LiPeng Professional Electrical Engineer Firm

surveyor: JengShing Surveying and Mapping Engineering Co., Ltd.

environmental advisor: D.H. Engineering Consultants Ltd.

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MVRDV completes the GATE M West Bund Dream Center in Shanghai, transforming a former cement factory site along the Huangpu River into a dense cultural destination. Located within the city’s evolving West Bund district, the project reimagines a fragmented industrial landscape as a unified, layered environment for public life.

The 80,000-square-meter site previously housed the Shanghai Cement Factory, once the largest of its kind in Asia. In the wake of the 2010 Shanghai Expo and the broader reorganization of the city’s industrial belt, the factory operations were relocated, leaving behind a mix of massive silos, heavy-frame buildings, and a handful of unfinished commercial structures from a stalled development. MVRDV approached the project with a strategy of adaptive reuse and spatial continuity, introducing new connections while preserving the area’s industrial memory.

Bright orange staircases and elevator shafts act as circulation markers and visual anchors, contrasting with the exposed concrete textures of the original structures. These new elements lend identity and coherence to the collection of repurposed forms, while clearly signaling access points across the complex.

Shanghai’s GATE M Dream Center occupies a former cement factory | image © Sanqian Visual Image Art

Adaptive Reuse by MVRDV

The centerpiece of MVRDV’s intervention is the M Factory, a vast shed structure repurposed to host a hybrid food market and fine dining space on the ground floor, and a multi-purpose cultural hall above. The upper level is accessed via a vivid orange stairway fashioned from a former conveyor system, retaining the spatial drama of the factory’s original volume while offering a flexible venue for exhibitions, performances, and public events.

Alongside the M Factory, a towering silo is transformed by the architects into a vertical climbing center. A sequence of stairs and climbing routes, painted in the same orange hue, lead to rooftop and mid-level platforms which bring elevated views of the waterfront and surrounding city.

‘It was clear from the start that there was a lot of value leftover in the buildings that were already there — we didn’t want to demolish things just because it might be simpler, because that means more carbon, more waste,’ says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs.

‘Our challenge was to bring these pieces together and make them work as a single area, because they were an awkward pairing. We turned the newer buildings into the backdrop, so that the industrial behemoths could be the exclamation points, with exciting functions that capitalize on their special structural features.’

MVRDV preserves industrial structures and unifies them with orange elements | image © Sanqian Visual Image Art

industrial space infused with greenery

Rather than removing or hiding the newer unfinished buildings scattered between the older industrial forms, MVRDV incorporated them into the scheme with neutral facades, planted rooftops, and generous terraces. Their quiet presence serves as a backdrop to the more expressive remnants of the cement factory, while completing the spatial edges of public plazas and passageways.

Landscape design by Field Operations enhances the riverside setting, extending the urban promenade and introducing shaded seating, vegetation, and play areas. Together with retail spaces, restaurants, and performance zones, the ensemble establishes a complex rhythm of enclosed and open experiences.

The GATE M West Bund Dream Center demonstrates how existing structures, regardless of their stylistic or chronological differences, can be re-contextualized to serve contemporary civic functions. The project aligns with a growing international interest in post-industrial reuse, and continues MVRDV’s broader portfolio of cultural and urban regeneration work.

an industrial silo is adapted into a rock-climbing gym with rooftop views | image © Xia Zhi

the masterplan balances enclosed volumes with outdoor plazas | image © Xia Zhi

the central M Factory houses a market below and flexible cultural space above | image © Liu Guowei

Field Operations leads the riverside landscape design | image © Xia Zhi

unfinished newer buildings are integrated with neutral facades and planted terraces | image © Xia Zhi

GATE M contributes to Shanghai’s broader waterfront transformation | image © Sanqian Visual Image Art

project info:

project title: Shanghai Gate M West Bund Dream Center

architecture: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Shanghai, China

area: 45,000 square meters

client: Hua Zhi Men Capital

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs
partner: Wenchian Shi
director MVRDV Shanghai: Peter Chang

previous coverage: February 2024

completion: 2025
photography: © Xia Zhi, Liu Guowei, Tian Fangfang, Sanqian Visual Image Art

design team: Kyo Suk Lee, Peter Chang, Sredej Bunnag, Luca Xu, Shanshan Wu, Yunxi

Guo, Albert Parfonov, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Americo Iannazzone, Dorota Kaczmarek,

Echo Zhai, Edvan Ardianto, Haocheng Yang, Jiameng Li, Jiani You, Kevin Zhao, Kristina

Knauf, Meng Yang, Ming Kong, Martin Chen, Sen Yang, Shushen Zhang, Siyi Pan, Steven

Smit, Tanja Dubbelaar, Xiaoliang Yu, Yayun Liu, Yihong Chen, Evan O’Sullivan, Peilu Chen

director MVRDV Shanghai: Peter Chang

copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries

partners:

co-architect: AISA

landscape architect: Field Operations

structural: engineer: ARUP, AISA

facade: consultant: RFR

interior architect: CL3, Xu Studio

lighting design: RDI

The post MVRDV restores former cement factory for west bund dream center in shanghai appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

MVRDV’s Winy Maas sits down with designboom to discuss the making of the kinetic Sombra Pavilion and the 3D printed Biotopia installation at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. Before the exhibition’s public opening on May 9th 2025, the Dutch architect, and the M of MVRDV together with Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, explained the making and thinking behind the SOMBRA pavilion and the Biotopia installation. ‘It’s nice that the pavilion is not solar. In this case, it’s only the air pressure. What we use is our knowledge of the sun. We work a lot on shadow and light, and create and research complex solar programs. For Biotopia, I imagine a fully recyclable, biological world that combines all the properties we need: energy, oxygen, animals, shelter, light, flexibility, and changeability,’ the architect tells designboom during the interview.

One project uses physics to create shade without electricity, while the other imagines a future where buildings grow like living organisms. The SOMBRA pavilion – designed by a team led by MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs – is at the European Cultural Centre’s Giardini Marinaressa, part of the Time Space Existence show. The Biotopia installation is at the Arsenale, part of the main exhibition curated by Carlo Ratti. Both of them are on view until November 2025. For the pavilion, built in collaboration with with Metadecor, Airshade, and Alumet, the structure turns reused beams into large arches, supported by metal ribs. This frame holds triangular panels fitted with perforated metal screens. The pavilion operates without electricity or motors. It relies on physics: when direct sunlight heats small air canisters located within the structure’s ribs, the air pressure inside increases. This pressure inflates small airbags attached to the panels. As an airbag inflates, it contracts, pulling its corresponding panel closed to create shade. When the sun moves and the canisters cool, the pressure decreases, and the panels reopen.

portrait of Winy Maas | image © designboom

Progress to building a biotopic world

Heading to the Arsenale of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, Winy Maas and his think tank The Why Factory collaborate with visual artist Federico Díaz to sculpt and present BIOTOPIA. The installation is in two parts. First, the 3D printed sculpture made of polymer. The second is an accompanying film documenting the Dutch architect’s research and how he imagines biotopia will be, which brims with self-sustaining systems. The kind of future here makes biology the foundation for all design. It reimagines cities as forests and architecture as something that grows like a tree. The core concept is a global Sponge, or a type of dynamic biomatter architecture. This Sponge would perform functions like cooling the air, filtering water, and generating energy, all while adapting like a living thing.

The sculptural installation with Federico Díaz, called Propagative Structures, gives physical form to the idea of living matter, of architecture built from living organisms. The work emerges from research into biomimicry, or a field of design that takes inspiration from natural systems. The installation’s forms draw on the structure of mangrove root networks, a suggestion of a future where habitats are not built but cultivated like plants. In our interview with the architect, Winy Maas discusses the future of urbanism, our progress to a biotopic world, the use of computational designs and algorithms in architecture, and what lies ahead for MVRDV, to name a few.

all images courtesy of MVRDV | photos by Federico Vespignani, unless stated otherwise

Interview with Winy MaAs at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

Designboom (DB): It’s wonderful to see you here in Venice, Winy. We saw the Sombra Pavilion in the garden on our way here. We also read that it’s kinetic?

Winy Maas (WM): It’s a kinetic structure, yes. It doesn’t need energy. Air pressure is generated by a heat difference within the structure itself. That helps to close or open panels, cooling the building at certain corners or not. That, of course, depends on the sun. It’s good to see it in the afternoon too because they placed it next to a tree, so it stands out. The film will be made in the coming months, so we can see the functioning of this air-driven structure. It’s nice that it’s not solar. In this case, it’s only the air pressure. 

What we use is our knowledge of the sun. We work a lot on shadow and light. We create and research complex solar programs. After that, we can start working on the solar panel industry. Sun Rock, for example, which is our project in Taipei for the Taipower Electricity company, is a building covered with solar panels. It’s an example of how we use the sun. It’s a nice project too, and I love it. 

the project uses physics to create shade without electricity

DB: So, the Sombra Pavilion is one project of MVRDV here at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. In the Arsenale, you have another titled Biotopia under The Why Factory, which is the think tank and research institute that you lead. Here, it comes in two parts. The first a 3D printed model with the visual artist Federico Diaz that explores the idea of living matter in continuous transformation. The other is a movie that documents and visualizes this future. First off, how do you see a biotopic world?

WM: Biotopia is a dream. Imagine a fully recyclable, biological world that combines all the properties we need: energy, oxygen, animals, shelter, light, flexibility, and changeability. There’s a huge list of properties we demand from our materials and surroundings. Biotopia philosophizes and speculates on the idea that if we create a material or combination of materials that can facilitate these needs precisely when desired by humans, nature, or animals, that will lead to a city you can’t yet imagine. I’m pursuing a few things with my Utopia concept. 

First, I’m trying to paint a sketch. The seven-minute accompanying film visitors see needs improvement, so it will progress over time, to the next step. Second, I’m creating a timeline sequence of materials, an interesting research project I’ll publish in a book. This timeline will detail all the properties we need, measured in time per second, for an average population density. That’s a crucial part. We calculate what we can do with current materials and what’s possible if certain material innovations occur. 

the pavilion is at the European Cultural Centre’s Giardini Marinaressa | photo by Jaap Heemskerk

WM (continued): There are three epochs in these steps, with the current epoch of innovation per technology, like improved 3D printing. The entire MVRDV group is part of this research. A lot is already happening; we have old materials and new materials emerging. We see this more and more, with layers of wood combined with glue, like glulam and CLT. We also have more types of sandwich constructions. Materials are becoming collaborative.  But what if this collaboration becomes more intense?

Materials could help provide light, others energy, and perhaps they could even move. That’s what this timeline aims to explore, too: what kind of collaborations are needed. We’ll depict these in the final timeline, the Blend, where everything is so interactive and active. It could lead to a completely different type of architecture or urbanism. Finally, we’re developing prototypes. These are diverse. One is 3D printing, aiming to move beyond current prefabrication methods. While prefab is fine, 3D printing offers more flexibility.

the structure turns reused beams into large arches, supported by metal ribs | photo by Jaap Heemskerk

DB: We were told that the sculptural installation at the Arsenale was supposed to be made of living organisms instead of 3D printed from polymer. 

WM: Yes, and I’m still completely open to it, but that’ll most likely be after the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. There’s this dream of using 3D printing that involves two components, or three elements, that are not currently part of 3D printing. The first is what we call the material bank. Carlo Ratti adopted this idea, which involved a machine design where you have various materials. You feed these materials into the 3D printer, which could have multiple nozzles – one for concrete, one for stone, one for glass, one for steel, one for minerals, and one for wood. 

This allows you to select the desired material as you print, changing nozzles along the printing line. This is part of the design. The second component is the printer itself, which is a mixed printer and an ‘un-printer.’ This allows materials to be changed and adapted. To achieve this, an analyzer scans the surface, determines its composition, and then initiates a destruction operation. This process varies depending on the material. For example, 100% glass is easy to break and can be burned in two steps. 

when direct sunlight heats small air canisters, the air pressure inside increases | photo by Jaap Heemskerk

WM (continued): You remove the material, burn it, and the burner sends it to the material bank, from which it can be returned to the printer. This applies to all types of materials. So, we have the mixer, the printer, the ‘un-printer,’ and the material bank. The final component is the monitor, where you design and input data. This input isn’t just for design; it’s also a control mechanism. During printing, you need to monitor the process to prevent cracking. 

This can involve adding more water because the printing material is like a pudding that needs to be as fluid as possible for adhesion. Adding more water helps with the drying period, and you can also use other polymers. I can provide the diagram, but I should patent it first. This is the dream, so far. There’ll also be these robots that would be there to help construct these. I also have a sequence of mycelium tests that I want to do with the school in Jakarta.

the frame holds triangular panels fitted with perforated metal screens | photo by Jaap Heemskerk

DB: That was our follow-up question: the use of biomaterials. It seems that you’ve already used them in your recent projects. In line with this, you’ve also had a talk discussing computational design and algorithms in architecture and design. In what ways have you and MVRDV adopted them into your workflow?

WM: We have our specialties as an office and research group. I cannot do everything, so we need to collaborate extensively. I’m proficient in scripting; our office was one of the first to adopt it, and now our department excels in it. Our team is well-trained in computation and computer science, which I believe is a significant asset. We are skilled in space design, like any architect, and we are also strong in visualization.

DB: What do you think is our progress towards a biotopic world?

WM: There’s a wide range of research I’m trying to gather and collect. We have the example of 3D printing and mycelium. I’m also looking into the lignification of lignin from trees to accelerate this process in the farming industry. This would make the material more fluid, more like willow. I’m also incredibly interested in the electrical changeability of materials, like electrical rubber, for instance. In short, it’s a long process, but the beauty of it is fantastic.

view of the Biotopia installation at the Arsenale | all exhibition photos by Celestia Studio

DB: Are there other materials you want to work or experiment with? What’s next for you?

WM: I like the lignin and the washing-stone technology. This is a new technique we’re developing with Eindhoven. You add a layer of stone, which washes away, and then it assembles into soil. So, it’s essentially accelerating soil creation through erosion and its distribution. This helps plants grow, especially in shadowy areas. We’ve already applied this concept in Dubai for a new pavilion. 

Let’s go back to what you said before we started the interview. We’re sitting in a park, and you asked if I have a relationship with nature. My background already explains it, and I think our architecture is involved in that, meaning nature. I think we make it possible to reconnect people with nature. I like your question about what’s next because that’s the topic of the book we’re making. My lectures are always about what’s next, and they include slides. There are many subjects. I can dream about utopia as a kind of end result, if that’s possible. 

Then, I also have to study mobility. I need to consider when I move and what makes sense, so we’re doing a new study on velocity with different industries. We’re checking how the city would look with a certain kind of mobility: if I walk only, or if I have horses, or if I have three types of mobility. I also want to add properties to drones. It’s not about sending packages, which we can already do. We have a drone skycar in Shenzhen, and surveying is another use. But you can also construct. So I ask my collaborators and clients, ‘What can I do if I want to build a house in the sky?’ Just as a hypothesis. We’ll see.

the installation comes with an accompanying film documenting the building of Biotopia

the first part of the installation is the 3D printed sculpture made of polymer

Winy Maas and his think tank The Why Factory collaborate with visual artist Federico Díaz for the sculpture

the installations are on view in Venice until November 2025

project info:

architect: Winy Maas

firm: MVRDV | @mvrdv

Biotopia

lead architect: Winy Maas

think tank: The Why Factory

artist: Federico Díaz | @federico_diaz_hands

location: Arsenale

event: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

dates: May 10th to November 23rd, 2025

photography: Celestia Studio, The Why Factory | @celestiastudio

SOMBRA Pavilion

lead architect: Jacob van Rijs

collaboration: Metadecor, Airshade Technologies, MVRDV, Alumet, Van Rossum Raadgevend Ingenieurs, Arup, Kersten Europe, the AMOLF Institute | @metadecor, @airshadetechnologies, @mvrdv, @alumet_nl, @vanrossumbv, @arupgroup 

exhibition: Time Space Existence

location: Giardini Marinaressa

address: Riva dei Sette Martiri, 30122 Venice, Italy

photography: Federico Vespignani, Jaap Heemskerk | @federico_vespignani

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