The Port of Rotterdam is a world of its own: innovative, complex, and constantly evolving. With the opening of Portlantis, a new experience centre on the Tweede Maasvlakte, visitors gain a unique perspective on this dynamic environment and the challenges that lie ahead.
Kossmanndejong designed the exhibitions as a fully integrated experience, seamlessly merging architecture, interior, and content. In collaboration with architecture firm MVRDV, which designed the building, a gesamtkunstwerk was created, bringing Europe’s largest port to life in countless ways.
The iconic structure consists of five identical volumes, stacked and rotated as if casually placed like shipping containers. Expansive panoramic windows on each floor offer breathtaking views of the surroundings, making the real port an integral part of the visitor experience.
At its heart is the 22-metre-high atrium, where a kinetic installation and an interactive port model make the port’s energy palpable. This experience can be seen and felt from every level. A red external staircase winds its way up the building, leading to the freely accessible panoramic deck, where visitors can take in sweeping views of the North Sea, the coastline, and the port.
The exhibition is spread across three floors, each dedicated to a specific theme: TODAY – the port as it is now, IMPACT – its significance in the world, and TOMORROW – the future of the port. There is no fixed route—visitors are free to explore in their own way, engaging with interactive installations and layered information designed to cater to all levels of knowledge and expertise. The top floor houses a spacious restaurant, open to all visitors during the day and in the evening.
Portlantis a place to learn, experience, and connect. Schoolchildren, students, policymakers, and port professionals come together here, fostering cross-pollination and knowledge exchange. Now more than ever, as the port navigates energy transition and geopolitical shifts, Portlantis provides a space where knowledge, ideas, and visions for the future are shared.
Portlantis is the result of a close partnership between the Port of Rotterdam (client), MVRDV (architecture), Piet Harm Sterk (art direction, Bind), and Kossmanndejong (exhibition design).
Photography: Ossip van Duivenbode and Thijs Wolzak
