Once the world’s largest storage and transhipment warehouse, the 1923 harbour shed designed by Cornelis van Goor for the Holland-America Line has found new life as the FENIX Museum of Migration. Located in Rotterdam’s Katendrecht district, this industrial relic has been transformed into a cultural landmark that explores the journeys of millions who migrated across the seas, with architecture as bold as the stories it tells.
At the heart of the museum stands a stunning architectural center-piece: a double-helix staircase designed by renowned Chinese architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects. Nicknamed the “Tornado,” this spiralling structure rises dramatically through the building, connecting past and present, earth and sky, symbolizing movement and transformation.
Crowning the building is one of the most technically complex glass rooftops in modern architecture. Composed of 255 fully customized curved glass panels, each one unique, the structure showcases the precision and possibilities of modern glass manufacturing. The high-performance panels are laminated IGUs with double-silver Low-E coating, ensuring both thermal efficiency and visual clarity.
This engineering feat was made possible by the collaborative expertise of IFS Building Systems, which developed the intricate 3D-supporting geometry, and NorthGlass, who manufactured the panels to exacting standards. Materials like SentryGlas® interlayers added strength and safety to the design. 
From design to execution, the project was driven by trust, transparency, and technical mastery among all partners, architects, engineers, contractors, and glass specialists.
The FENIX Museum is more than a building; it’s a dialogue between heritage and innovation, proving how glass, curved, complex, and courageous, can tell stories just as powerfully as stone or steel.
Source: IFS Building Systems BV with additional information added by Glass Balkan
