The commission to design a temporary installation arose from a desire to draw further attention to MVRDVHNI: The Living Archive of a Studio, an exhibition of MVRDV’s work that at the time was on show in the top floor of the Nieuwe Instituut. Due to work being conducted on the public space outside the museum, the main entrance of Het Nieuwe Instituut was less visible and accessible, so the MVRDV design team came up with the idea to create an alternative access route via a large outdoor staircase.

The designers were inspired by the panoramic view from the roof of the Nieuwe Instituut, and by the building’s design by Jo Coenen, with its characteristic pergola. In order to produce The Podium as sustainably as possible, scaffolding material and recyclable floor finishes were chosen as materials. The Podium was accessible via the outside staircase and via the exhibition in the floor below. For visitors who could not use the stairs, The Podium was accessible by elevator or via the internal access of the Nieuwe Instituut.

“The installation fits with a tradition that MVRDV has built up in the programming of the rooftop landscape”, said architect Gijs Rikken, associate design director at MVRDV. “In Rotterdam it started in 2006 with the blue rooftop extension Didden Village, followed by the Stairs to Kriterion in 2016. In 2022 we enhanced the rooftops with the orange Rooftop Walk and the pink Podium. We want to bring more attention to this second layer of the city with colour and special installations: if we make it greener, more sustainable, and more connected, the city will become more liveable for everyone.”