new pictures present how MAD’s fenix museum of migration has come alive in rotterdam

fenix Museum of migration in Motion

 

The Fenix Museum of Migration by MAD has now been open in Rotterdam for a number of months, establishing itself as an iconic civic landmark alongside town’s industrial waterfront. Rising above the historic port district, the museum occupies a restored warehouse as soon as tied to the movement of migrants who departed from Rotterdam for locations the world over. Now, with newly captured photographs months after its opening in May 2025, the challenge might be understood as not only a renovation, however as an lively and lived-in landmark formed by guests’ reflections and spiraling motion.

 

‘Everything is in motion — people, time, light, the sea,’ says Ma Yansong. ‘This building invites us to rethink moments of arrival and departure, and to reflect on the reasons we set out in the first place.’ That sense of continuity between previous and current is what connects the sculptural constructing to its cultural and concrete context. Before the museum opened to the general public, the architects documented their design course of by means of a movie titled ‘Ma Yansong: Journey to Design the Fenix Tornado’ — watch it right here!

the Fenix Museum of Migration is sited in Rotterdam’s historic port district | picture © Hufton + Crow

 

 

a spiraling monument for convergence in rotterdam

 

At the center of the Fenix Museum of Migration in Rotterdam, MAD’s tornado-shaped staircase has emerged because the defining aspect. Two spirals rise independently, crossing and separating earlier than becoming a member of at platforms that overlook the coastal Dutch metropolis.

 

The group at MAD compares the challenge to related occupiable monuments similar to Heatherwick Studio’s now-iconic Vessel or the Little Island alongside New York’s Hudson River: ‘These projects, like the tornado, operate at a similar scale and share a strong commitment to experiential design.’

 

‘But where Vessel is often described as an Escher-like stair maze or built for spectacle, and Little Island as a floating garden for urban escape, the tornado in Fenix takes a different approach. It is less about retreat or display and more about convergence.

a ‘tornado’ staircase kinds the centerpiece of the museum | picture © Iwan Baan

 

 

mad’s Tornado Staircase as Civic Space

 

MAD’s Ma Yansong describes the Fenix Museum’s configuration as ‘random yet precise,’ a system designed for fluid motion that creates probability encounters. The end result lends a choreography of tourists’ actions, because the structure organizes spontaneous interactions and encourages each particular person reflection and collective expertise as guests ascend the spiraling construction.

 

The adaptive reuse of the museum’s warehouse preserves the commercial shell, a reminiscence of the encompassing neighborhood. This warehouse had been restored by Bureau Polderman, whereas MAD launched interventions to change its historic environment. The opening of the central roof floods the inside with daylight to animate each the preserved concrete construction and the brand new stainless-steel spiral.

 

‘The shaping and shifting of global politics, geography, culture, and art are largely rooted in these migrations,’ Ma explains. ‘We hope this museum not only commemorates the past or tells stories of hardship, but more importantly, reveals hope and courage — offering inspiration for people today and in the future to look ahead.’

the spirals rise independently earlier than assembly at shared platforms | picture © Arch-Exist

 

 

Structurally, the spiraling staircase demonstrates a excessive stage of engineering innovation. Measuring 550 meters in size and rising thirty meters excessive, it cantilevers outward as much as seventeen meters at sure factors, achieved by means of a spatial truss system developed with curler coaster specialists. Its reflective cladding, formed with CNC expertise, captures shifting skies, waterfront exercise, and the motion of passersby.

 

The expertise of climbing the steps isn’t fastened. Perspectives shift with every step, encounters happen on the landings, and the view culminates within the rooftop platform the place town and river unfold as a broad horizon. The architects describe it as each a journey and a gathering place, the place motion is reworked into structure.

 

Inside, the gathering contains historic artifacts and modern commissions, introduced in an open plan that encourages guests to maneuver fluidly between previous and current. Wim Pijbes, President of the Droom en Daad Foundation, emphasizes this universality: ‘At some point in life, people make the decision — whether due to war, poverty, faith, or other reasons — to pack everything they own into one or two suitcases and start over on the other side of the world. What we must do is understand those emotions and give them form.’

the reflective stainless-steel floor mirrors mild and motion | picture © Arch-Exist

the restored warehouse construction contrasts with the brand new intervention | picture © Hufton + Crow