Fenix

Fenix is MAD’s first completed cultural project in Europe, an reimagining a century-old harbor warehouse into a contemporary museum devoted to the theme of migration. Located on Rotterdam’s Katendrecht Peninsula, once a vital departure point for millions of migrants and home to continental Europe’s oldest Chinatown, the 16,000-square-meter structure reopens as a layered public space that fuses memory, movement, and modernity. MAD’s design retains the industrial strength of the original 1923 warehouse while introducing a powerful sculptural gesture: a stainless steel “Tornado” staircase that spirals up from the central atrium and rises through the roof to a panoramic platform. Hovering above the city and reflecting the sky, river, city and visitors, the helix-shaped double stair evokes the emotional turbulence and dynamic flows of migration. It offers not only circulation, but metaphor—serving as a visible expression of transition, movement, and connection. Preservation and invention coexist throughout. The original concrete frame and signature green steel windows were restored, while glass curtain walls and skylights flood the atrium with natural light. Non-structural partitions were removed to enhance transparency and flow. On either side of the atrium, flexible exhibition wings now house a diverse collection ranging from historical artifacts to contemporary works commissioned from global artists. A green roof above supports biodiversity and environmental performance; below, a 2,275-square-meter indoor plaza known as Plein offers free public access and space for cultural programming. Fenix’s architecture challenges the notion of a static museum. Instead, it operates as an active civic landmark—open, visible, and emotionally resonant. As Ma Yansong describes it, the building reflects “flowing space, atmosphere, people; stories and art centered on movement.” Through its transformative design, MAD reconnects a site of historical departure with a future of collective memory and cross-cultural dialogue.