Five design concepts unveiled for Shift Landmark in Waterkant, Rotterdam

ROTTERDAM, 4 March 2026 – Shift has unveiled five finalist design concepts for the proposed Shift Landmark, a large new building planned for Waterkant in Rotterdam-Zuid. A winning design is expected to be selected later this spring, with the project presented as a public destination centred on circular living.

_{Mecanoo's shortlisted design for the Shift Landmark competition, 2026. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo}

Shift is a steward-owned social enterprise that says it uses art, architecture, digital tools and immersive experiences to help people and organisations engage with more sustainable ways of living.

What Shift is proposing for Waterkant

Shift says the Landmark would be a €240 million development of roughly 25,000 to 30,000 m². The plan includes a 10,000 m² immersive experience, plus a hotel, a conference and meeting centre, and a sustainable food court.

One important nuance for Rotterdam readers: this is still a proposal. The project is being developed through an architecture competition, and any eventual construction would still need to fit the Waterkant area plans and go through the usual municipal approvals and permits.

Five shortlisted design concepts

Shift’s shortlist features five teams, each proposing a different way of turning climate and circularity themes into a building you can walk through, use, and return to.

Ecosistema Urbano: “A living landmark”

Ecosistema Urbano describes its concept as a regenerative living system, designed to function like an evolving social organism that supports biodiversity while keeping public space at its core.

Ecosistema Urbanos's shortlisted design for the Shift Landmark competition, 2026. Image © Ecosistema Urbano

Heatherwick Studio: “Urban reef”

Heatherwick Studio’s concept, “Urban Reef”, is presented as a building made up of layered zones that support one another like an ecosystem, shaping how people move through the building and encouraging shared activity.

Heatherwick's shortlisted design for the Shift Landmark competition, 2026. Image Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio

Mecanoo: “The house of Shift”

Mecanoo’s “House of Shift” is framed as an icon centred on upcycling, carbon storage, and energy neutrality, with spaces designed for exploration and participation, not just observation.

Mecanoo's shortlisted design for the Shift Landmark competition, 2026. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo

MVRDV: “Rotterdam ROCKS!”

MVRDV’s “Rotterdam ROCKS!” imagines the Landmark as a stacked landscape of porous, “living rocks”, with nature and public life woven into the architecture so the building itself reads like an urban ecosystem.

MVRDV's shortlisted design for the Shift Landmark competition, 2026. Image Courtesy of MVRDV

Office for Political Innovation: “Planetary landmark for the climate age”

Office for Political Innovation presents “Planetary Landmark for the Climate Age” as a working climate section through a changing world, where climate is sensed, understood, and shaped collectively through experience and interaction.

Office for Political Innovation's shortlisted design for the Shift Landmark competition, 2026. Image © Office for Political Innovation

How the competition got here

Shift launched its international architecture competition in January 2025. The organisation says the brief was widely downloaded and ultimately narrowed down to these five finalists, who have continued developing their concepts over the past months.

The finalists presented their designs on 3 March. Shift says a winning design will be announced in spring 2026, after which the chosen team is expected to enter a participation process that includes input from local communities.

Why this matters for Rotterdam

Waterkant is planned as a major new waterfront district in Rotterdam-Zuid, built around new public space and a tidal park, with housing and facilities expected to arrive alongside it. If a Landmark-scale project takes shape here, it would become part of how Rotterdam’s southern riverfront develops as a destination, not only as a place to live.

It is also where the practical questions start to matter most: how a large public building fits next to homes and public space, what it means for mobility and daily use, and what Rotterdammers should expect from a project of this scale if it moves forward.

How to get there

Waterkant is planned on the south bank of Rotterdam, within the Rotterdams Tij development zone. To orient yourself, think of the wider southern riverfront near Feijenoord and the Maas routes that connect neighbourhoods along the water. Cycling is usually the easiest way to explore this stretch of the city, especially if you want to combine it with a riverside walk.

For the original announcement and background, Shift published its press page here: https://media.shift.world/262211-shift-reveals-five-inspiring-designs-for-its-landmark-in-rotterdam/