De Rotterdam

Big, bigger, biggest: De Rotterdam

The building De Rotterdam (not to be confused with the steamship ss Rotterdam) is the largest building in the Netherlands. It’s not only impressive due to its height of 150 meters, but also due to its huge surface of 160,000 m2 (!). The Rotterdam building consists of three towers that include shops, offices, homes, restaurants and the four stars boutique Hotel nhow Rotterdam with a magnificent view on the Erasmus Bridge and the skyline of Rotterdam. The top floor of De Rotterdam offers a huge 750 m2 penthouse with three roof top terraces, which was recently sold for 3,5 million Euros.

Vertical city De Rotterdam

In a classic skyscraper you only socialize with other people at the elevators, but the idea of De Rotterdam is that you should easily be able to spend 24 hours within this building, just like in a real city. That means that the multifunctional building contains all kinds of facilities such as working, relaxing, living, food & beverage and shops, just like in a small village. Therefore, the concept of De Rotterdam is also known as the vertical city. Guided tours at De Rotterdam are available at De Rotterdam Tours.

Designed by Rem Koolhaas

De Rotterdam was designed by the famous architect Rem Koolhaas from Rotterdam, who also designed ‘ De Kunsthal’ exhibition centre. The three interconnected towers consist of irregularly stacked blocks that give the Rotterdam skyscraper a different shape from different perspectives.

Historical name De Rotterdam

The name of the building refers to the history of the Wilhelminapier, where in the past tens of thousands of Europeans emigrated to America on board the Holland America Line (HAL). One of the ships that shuttled between Rotterdam and New York was named ss Rotterdam.

Interested in modern architecture?

Have a look at the extensive Rotterdam architecture guide for an overview of the most striking buildings!