A Tower with a Kink: The Muse in Rotterdam

Rotterdam is called “Manhattan on the Maas” for good reason: amid all the skyscrapers that have been built in the port city over the past few years, The Muse by Barcode Architects, stands 74 metres tall yet is not among the tallest. However, the new addition redeems itself with its central location and unconventional silhouette. Above a six-storey plinth, the structure rises with an elegant kink. The inspiration for the building came from the architects themselves, who saw the opportunity to realize centrally situated condos for an affluent clientele, right on the former spot of a municipal administration building.

Buyers enjoy broad views from the glazed north and south façades, which feature jutting balconies connected via white bands of balustrade. The significantly more closed-off west and east façades form a frame of storey-high, anthracite-coloured prefab concrete components around the building. At the kink in the tower between the 5th and 8th upper levels, the architects have created a sort of stepped-house typology with a particularly spacious outdoor seating area. The plinth area will accommodate, along with shops and a fitness centre, a three-storey above-ground parkade. The fifth floor offers residents additional guestrooms with access to the rooftop terrace. In the future, this terrace will connect The Muse with its neighbour, CasaNova, which is 35 m taller and is being built on the adjacent lot, also according to plans prepared by Barcode Architects.