Dutch architecture office MVRDV has unveiled plans to install a giant neon-pink staircase across the exterior of Rotterdam's Het Nieuwe Instituut that will lead to a viewing platform in the same colour on its roof.
Titled The Podium, the temporary installation will extend from the ground level plaza in front of the Het Nieuwe Instituut, adjacent to the MVRDV-designed art storage building Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, and rise along the side of the cultural centre.
The staircase will be supported by a scaffolding system beneath and lead to the roof of the Het Nieuwe Instituut, which will be topped with a neon pink podium-cum-viewing platform that offers visitors panoramic views of Rotterdam.
The installation will form part of the Rotterdam Architecture Month, providing the festival with a 600-square-metre central location that will be free for members of the public to experience while also hosting a number of architecture events.
The Podium will extend the height of the building measuring 29 metres tall. The 143-step staircase will provide visitors with a scenic, bright-pink guided walk to the rooftop. A lift from within the Het Nieuwe Instituut will also allow visitors step-free access to the rooftop podium.
The installation will be the successor to MVRDV's 2016 staircase installation The Stairs. This installation similarly lead visitors to the roof of an office block in Rotterdam's city centre and was built as part of the city’s 75th anniversary of its post-war reconstruction.
The Podium is set to open on 1 June 2022 in time for Rotterdam Architecture Month and will be open to the public until August.
The rooftop podium will be host to a number of lectures, talks, films and exhibitions.
In 2021, MVRDV opened the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, directly opposite the Het Nieuwe Instituut, which provided the public access to 151,000 artworks.
Also in 2021, Het Nieuwe Instituut appointed Aric Chen as general and artitstic director.
Rotterdam Architecture Month is taking place in Rotterdam from 1 to 30 June. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.