Het Nieuwe Instituut announces epic summer rooftop stage

 

Het Nieuwe Instituut proudly presents the initiative for Het Podium: an impressive platform on the roof of the institute. The striking pink installation with imposing outdoor staircase was designed by architects MVRDV and is an extension of the exhibition MVRDVHNI: The Living Archive of a Studio. Het Podium will be open from 1 June to 17 August and offers a unique opportunity to experience architecture, the city, Museumpark and the institute from an entirely new perspective. Never before has the roof of the institute been accessible to visitors.

 

With Het Podium, Het Nieuwe Instituut is giving partners and makers from Rotterdam, the Netherlands and beyond the opportunity to temporarily add their own programming to the roof. The first major event to be organized at the institute is Rotterdam Architecture Month: an initiative of AIR (Architecture Institute Rotterdam), Rotterdam Festivals and Rotterdam Partners. Het Podium is at the centre of this edition. 

 

The city podium will soon not only have a cultural or architectural character: it will also be open to activities and sectors of a completely different nature. From sports classes to rooftop dinners and special children's activities. More information about the exact programme and the other cooperation partners will be announced later.

 

 

The colourful city podium will soon be 29 metres high and accessible via a 143-step outdoor staircase, a lift and via the exhibition MVRDVHNI: The Living Archive of a Studio on the sixth floor of the institute. In this presentation, the early works of architect firm MVRDV are opened up interactively. Het Podium symbolizes both MVRDV's ambition to condense the city and make better use of roofs and the ambition of Het Nieuwe Instituut to increase knowledge about architecture.

 

The first user of Het Podium at Het Nieuwe Instituut is the Rotterdam Architecture Month. For the duration of the event, the platform at the institute will be the heart of the festival and will host lectures, tours, films and other activities on architecture throughout the month of June. The main exhibition of the Rotterdam Architecture Month will also be housed in one of the presentation rooms of Het Nieuwe Instituut. Another part of the festival's multifaceted programming is The World Around: a leading conference in the field of contemporary architecture and design. Together with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Het Nieuwe Instituut is hosting this international event and on 11 June a conference will be held at Het Podium and in the institute.

 

Het Podium at Het Nieuwe Instituut can be seen as a logical continuation of previous impressive scaffolding installations designed by MVRDV in the past. In 2017, for instance, the firm already placed a gigantic staircase on Rotterdam's Stationsplein in the context of 75 years of the city's reconstruction. With this summer stage on the roof, Het Nieuwe Instituut also joins the Rotterdam Rooftop Walk: an initiative of the Rotterdam Roof Days. This route opens on May 26th and gives access to the roofscape of the inner city for a month. The event aims to let a large audience experience how roof use can contribute to a better future for cities and city dwellers. 

 

 

Het Nieuwe Instituut is the national institute for architecture, design and digital culture. Located in the city of architecture Rotterdam, in the Museumpark, Het Nieuwe Instituut has various exhibition spaces, a museum shop, a museum café, a study room and library, an auditorium, educational spaces and a garden. It houses one of the largest architecture collections in the world.