A vertical city block that looks bored—until you realize boredom is the disguise of absolute scale.
Skyscraper in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Featured in Rem Koolhaas's definitive monograph, S,M,L,XL.
Visitor Guide
Don’t stare up from the base. Walk laterally along Wilhelminapier and let parallax do the work—the towers ‘slide’ against each other and the project finally clicks.
From the Erasmus Bridge pedestrian/bike path on the north side, late afternoon for side-lit glazing and readable stacking; alternatively from Wilhelminakade for a straighter elevation.
Mostly offices/hotel/residential: you can enter public lobby areas and any ground-floor restaurants/bars that are open; upper levels are controlled. Some guided tours/pop-up open-building events happen occasionally—otherwise treat it as a city-scale exterior and lobby experience.
The project’s real trick is not form—it’s logistics: stacked programs with different fire egress, servicing, acoustics, and access control, all forced to behave like one monolith.
30–60 minutes
Design & Structure
Massing developed as repeated ‘shifted slab’ logic: a modular tower system adjusted for view corridors, wind comfort at ground, and program separation. Heavy BIM coordination is the main innovation—how you make multiple buildings act like one without turning circulation into a nightmare.
Curtain wall glazing and dark spandrels used as a graphic equalizer: the facade reads as one continuous field, helping the stacked volumes register as a single urban object.
Multiple cores and transfer conditions manage the shifted volumes; the engineering story is controlled deflection and vibration criteria across mixed-use floorplates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed De Rotterdam?+
De Rotterdam was designed by Rem Koolhaas and completed in 2013. It is located in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Where is De Rotterdam located?+
De Rotterdam is located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Its coordinates are 51.9067°, 4.4881°.
When was De Rotterdam built?+
De Rotterdam was completed in 2013. It was designed by Rem Koolhaas.
Can I visit De Rotterdam?+
De Rotterdam is a real building in Rotterdam that can be viewed from the outside. Check local information for interior access and visiting hours. Use the Parametric Atlas walking tour feature to plan a route that includes this building.