Waterstad Rotterdam (Water city Rotterdam). By Kunlé Adeyemi: Floating pavilions on the ponds of the New Institute on display as of 14 May 2023.

At the New Institute in Rotterdam, Waterstad Rotterdam has been unveiled by Kunlé Adeyemi. The project consists of an exhibition, various floating islands, art installations, and the impressive, seven-meter-tall, wooden floating pavilion MFS IIR on the pond of the institute. It is the first time that this award-winning design by Nigerian-Dutch architect Kunlé Adeyemi is on display in our country.

Architect Kunlé Adeyemi was born in Nigeria and lives and works in the Netherlands with his firm NLÉ. For ten years, he has been researching the relationship between water and cities, rising sea levels, and housing shortages. Inspired by African 'water cities', where rapid urbanisation and rising water levels lead to significant challenges and innovative solutions, he developed a floating, circular building system. His floating pavilions have previously been exhibited in Lagos, Chengdu, Bruges, and at the Venice Biennale, where the design won the prestigious Silver Lion.

Visit floating pavilions at Het Nieuwe Instituut

Eye-catcher

With recognisable, central themes such as urbanisation, housing shortages, and living with water, it is unimaginable that Adeyemi's work has not been exhibited in the Netherlands before. However, that will change from 13 May. The eye-catching feature in the pond of Het Nieuwe Instituut will be the seven-metre-tall main pavilion MFS IIR, accessible via a bridge from Gallery 0.

Inside the pavilion, visitors can interact with the fish from the pond through an installation by landscape architect and artist Thijs de Zeeuw. Additionally, Shertise Solano has created a special artwork about our relationship with water for the occasion. In the other pond, on the side of the Nieuwe Café, several smaller pontoons will be placed for visitors to enjoy. Both the main pavilion and the pontoons will be painted by the Rotterdam-based graphic artist duo Opperclaes.

Duration and programming

Water City Rotterdam. By Kunlé Adeyemi can be visited at Het Nieuwe Instituut from 14 May to 22 October 2023. Various activities will be organised during this period, including collaborations with Rotterdam Architecture Month. Regular guided tours will be available, and there will be a family expedition for children and their families, as well as a special edition of Family Fest, where families will be VIPs for a day. External organisations will also have the opportunity to contribute to the programming.