MVRDV, in collaboration with SYNRG, has received approval to construct Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-metre office complex in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Developed by LSI and marketed as The Bluezone Offices, the building occupies a narrow site along the railway, stretching nearly 150 metres and rising to 61 metres. The mixed-use programme includes ground-level commercial spaces, offices across multiple floors, and a rooftop restaurant and event venue designed to serve both tenants and the public.

Conceived as a “3D neighbourhood,” the design breaks the building’s mass into eleven distinct, colourful blocks, each inspired by Rotterdam’s architectural heritage. The project is located within the Schiekadeblok, a post-war reconstruction district known for creative workplaces, cultural venues, bars, and clubs.

The ground-level plinth maximises openness, accommodating public amenities such as a concept store, bakery, and bike café, while providing access to a three-storey, 230-space underground parking garage. A key design challenge involved integrating a protected car-parking ramp from the adjacent National Monument, which is repurposed as the glass-enclosed Wokkelbar, creating a unique focal point for the neighbourhood’s nightlife.

Massing strategies respond to the scale and rhythm of surrounding reconstruction-era buildings. The structure is divided horizontally into four sections, each with a defined plinth and one or two volumes above, echoing the post-war stacked block typology. Several upper blocks are carefully carved according to sun angles to avoid casting shadows on neighbouring homes.

The rooftop incorporates public amenities, including a restaurant, two-storey cultural and social event space, and an accessible green roof designed by Juurlink & Geluk. This rooftop features water-retention landscapes, a continuous promenade, pergolas supporting solar panels, and terraces with panoramic city views.

The façade draws on Rotterdam’s architectural character. Inspired by Donald Judd’s furniture series, each block combines a specific colour with a unique fenestration pattern referencing nearby landmarks. Some blocks adopt projecting bay windows from the Citrusveiling building, while others use sandstone tones from Rotterdam City Hall, integrating windows shaped as “010,” the city’s dialling code. Sustainability measures include recycled brick to reduce embodied carbon and south-facing Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels to generate on-site renewable energy.

Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV, said: “Squeezing a building into this narrow site next to the railway, while respecting a National Monument, was challenging. Schieblocks will be a bold, colourful introduction to Rotterdam, symbolising a transition from post-war reconstruction to the city’s ‘second reconstruction.’”