Revolutionary Cultural Marvel Unveiled: FENIX Museum of Migration Marks MAD's European Debut!

FENIX Museum of Migration, MAD architects' debut cultural project in Europe, has broken ground in Rotterdam, and it promises to be a revolutionary cultural marvel. Commissioned by the Droom en Daad Foundation, the project will renovate the historic Fenix warehouse, which was once the largest warehouse in the world. The warehouse has a rich history, having been entwined with the history of Rotterdam for over a century. The warehouse was destroyed during World War II and has been repaired multiple times over the years. The Fenix warehouse's location on the Katendrecht Peninsula has been an important port of immigration in European history, with millions of immigrants boarding ships there since the 19th century.

MAD Architects' renovation of the Fenix warehouse will connect the history of Rotterdam with the present. MAD's founder, Ma Yansong, said, "From a distance, the platform and staircase look like a single entity, but when it's in front of you, it stands as a sculptural work that invites you to explore. It both signifies the Fenix's witnessing of Europe's history of migration from the port and symbolizes the future of the city."

The renovation of the Fenix warehouse will preserve the building's historical legacy, with MAD embracing the iconic green steel windows and the concrete structure of the warehouse. The building's centre will feature a flexible and accessible space with a facade and roof replaced with glass curtain walls and ceilings. The extensive glazing also offers an uninterrupted frame for the scheme's striking centrepiece staircase structure. The staircase structure consists of two spiral staircases that extend from the ground and form an observation deck at the top.

Moving through the space with different rhythms, the staircases break down the massive scale of the original warehouse, adding more human-scale and intimate spaces. The stainless steel and wood materials used for the staircases contrast with the warehouse's original concrete and steel materials, while also evoking visitors' imagination of boarding a ship. The FENIX Museum of Migration is also integrated into the surrounding community with a high degree of accessibility, with public entrances from both the riverside and the city.

The ground floor of the museum combines creativity, culture, and culinary spaces to offer diverse activities, making art a part of people's daily lives. After completion, the museum will hold an exhibition on the theme of "movement," with contemporary artworks and archives curated in collaboration with local and international art institutions. Mr Pijbes, the president of the Droom en Daad Foundation, said, "A museum is a phenomenon that has a very strict idea and image in most people's minds. I want to find a word that has a kind of hybrid function, a place, a platform, an agora."

The FENIX Museum of Migration is more than just a museum; it is a phenomenon that will bridge the north and south of Rotterdam, inspiring more people through the universal theme of "migration." The president of the Droom en Daad Foundation, Mr Wim Pijbes, is a leading historian and former general director of Amsterdam's famous Rijksmuseum. Reflecting on the vision behind the FENIX Museum of Migration, Mr Pijbes said, "What we want to show is that this is a universal story. People at some point in their lives make a decision, whether it's forced by war, poverty, religious reasons or something else. They decide to put everything they have into one or two suitcases and make this journey to a new world and start all over again. What we want to do is to understand the emotion and to show the emotion."

In conclusion, MAD Architects' FENIX Museum of Migration promises to be a revolutionary cultural marvel. Its renovation of the Fenix warehouse will preserve the building's historical legacy.

Cortesy of MAD Architects'press office