Learn more about the Rotterdam Architecture Month
In our city of Rotterdam, where modern architecture and urban renewal go hand in hand, the Rotterdam Architecture Month is organized annually.
A month-long event that provides a stage for architects, designers, urban planners and the public to delve into the world of architecture, innovation and spatial design.
Every June, organizers Architecture Institute Rotterdam (AIR), Rotterdam Festivals and Rotterdam Partners put the city in the theme of architecture.
During this month, an appropriate and surprising location will be chosen where the festival heart takes place. Thanks to more than 100 partners from education, the culture sector and the design sector, the organization of the Rotterdam Architecture Month can organize more than 125 activities, spread over dozens of locations throughout the city. Guided tours, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, films and parties are planned every year.
This year, the Rotterdam Architecture Month 2025 takes place in a raw and unpolished part of the city: the abandoned quay behind the Schiehaven warehouses in Schiemond. Once closed off and forgotten, this area will transform in June into a vibrant festival hub. With circular installations, reused materials, and creative contributions from local makers like ArchitectuurMAKEN and Gore Tengels, the festival shows how to breathe new life into the city using what’s already there. The photo project 'This is My Neighbourhood' adds a human dimension to urban development, with intimate images of daily life in Schiemond and the Lloydkwartier.
The festival kicks off on Sunday, June 1st, with a festive opening event at the Kroonkwartier, featuring music, performances, a design market, and creative workshops. Throughout the rest of the month, more than 125 events will take place at over 40 locations across the city — from lectures to walking tours, exhibitions, and children’s activities. Most of the program is free to attend. A must for anyone curious about how the city of tomorrow is being shaped — starting today on the city's forgotten edges.
In 2025, the festival heart was located in the Museum Park, where visitors were able to follow a special route past various architectural interventions by a new generation of Rotterdam-based designers.
What exactly did these architectural interventions entail? The interventions told stories about the past, present and future of the park and allow visitors to experience the area in a different way. For example, the Rotterdam Architecture Month allowed visitors to literally rediscover the Museum Park.
One of the places you could visit during Rotterdam Architecture Month 2024 was 'Craving for Boijmans', as the long-renovated Boijmans van Beuningen Museum was temporarily open to visitors!
In 2023 we were able to visit the special floating festival heart, located in the Maashaven. This festival heart was nicely in line with this year's theme, namely 'Wet City'. The challenges in the field of water and climate in combination with the city were therefore central. In the outdoor exhibition you could see how designers, architects and the municipality offered solutions for this task.
In addition, the floating festival heart in the Maashaven offered space for several cool activities. The floating area, designed by architectural firm Studio Marco Vermeulen, was also a park, a place for urban sports and a gathering place for lectures, films and more!
In 2022, Rotterdam was under the spell of the Pink Podium, located on the roof of Het Nieuwe Instituut. With the aim of making better use of Rotterdam's roofs, the architectural firm MVRDV designed this colourful heart of the Architecture Month.
With a height of no less than 29 meters and accessible via a 143-step staircase, this stage was the place for a beautiful view, sports lessons, dinners, festivals and children's activities. For example, you could follow yoga classes, there were film screenings including live electronic music and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra performed.
