MAD unveiled the design for the "Dance House" in Rotterdam. This is MAD's second cultural project in Rotterdam, following the FENIX Migration Museum, and the seventh European project publicly announced by the firm.

Rotterdam has a long history of dance culture. It is home to Codarts, the oldest professional dance school in the Netherlands, and the world’s first hip-hop cultural community, HipHopHuis.

The "Dance House" is located on the Katendrecht Peninsula, which was once a famous gateway for population migration in European history but began to decline in the 1980s. In 2007, the government decided to restructure and redevelop the area, transforming it into a district combining creativity, dining, culture, and the arts.

The "Dance House," along with its neighboring "FENIX Immigration Museum," is owned by the Droom en Daad Foundation. The goal of these two projects is to strengthen Rotterdam’s cultural connectivity, enhancing the city's identity and fostering a deeper connection with its cultural landscape.

MAD's design starts with a respect for the regional and historical context, preserving the original warehouse structure that holds the city's memories. The minimalist white exterior updates the urban façade, where the collision, dialogue, and continuation of the old and new occur.

"Dance is a fluid art form. We hope this project will highlight Rotterdam's yearning for freedom and its embrace of global cultural diversity, which is why we made only minimal modifications to the original building. The Dance House will be closely connected to the FENIX Immigration Museum, looking toward the future from the century-old port."

— Ma Yansong

The second-floor landscape terrace features an art installation, a yellow seagull sculpture, which metaphorically represents the history of port immigration. The seagull stands gracefully, while the silver staircase spiraling upwards from the FENIX Immigration Museum complements the theme of "movement" and "diversity."

At the top of the building, MAD has designed an open-air theater facing the Meuse River. As night falls, red neon lights along the river light up, and dancers perform against the ever-changing backdrop of the river, creating a dramatic contemporary scene.

The Dance House is equipped with state-of-the-art dance studios, performance theaters, exhibition spaces, and more. It will serve as a vibrant cultural exchange venue, representing freedom and diversity, welcoming performers and audiences from around the world and locally.

The Dance House is currently in the process of detailed design, with the adjacent FENIX Immigration Museum expected to be completed in 2024.

Dance House
Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Design Team: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yoshiyuki Sasaki, Andrea D'Antrassi, Alessandro Fisalli, Paolo Pirri
Owner: Droom en Daad Foundation, Netherlands