On the Rotterdam harbourfront, a serpentine, silver form hovers above the maritime horizon. Dubbed the Tornado, the instantly iconic structure is part of the Fenix Museum of Migration, an art museum set inside an adapted century-old warehouse of the same name (once one of the largest such buildings in the world), which was carefully restored by Bureau Polderman. The project began as part of a 2016 cultural revitalization initiative helmed by the Droom en Daad Foundations and the City of Rotterdam. Beijing firm MAD Architects was tapped to design the addition, marrying its signature whimsy with the site’s industrial heritage.

Fenix Warehouse. PHOTO: Courtesy of the City of Rotterdam

But this is more than just a case of form-making, as is common of starchitect-designed cultural projects. The structure is actually a monumental staircase, stretching 550 metres long and 30 metres high, which culminates in a viewing platform. It is an apt coda for a journey conceived as a metaphor for the migrant experience.

To start, MAD opened up the roof to introduce natural light into the centre of the massive warehouse. Here, the firm inserted a sculptural spiral staircase into its core. With all its twists and turns — including a daring 17-metre cantilever at its longest point — the design required some structural gymnastics. The architects designed the forms in collaboration with a team specialized in roller coaster engineering, developing a spatial truss to support the cantilever.

While the dramatic form certainly turns heads, its materiality is equally striking. Made of stainless steel, shaped and polished using CNC technology, the reflective finish imparts a sense of movement, mirroring the activity of the port and the shifting sky. The result is a dynamic experience that changes dramatically throughout the day. “Everything is in motion — people, time, light, the sea,” says MAD founder Ma Yansong. “This building invites us to rethink moments of arrival and departure, and to reflect on the reasons we set out in the first place.”

Starting from the lobby, the path to the rooftop is long and meandering, even slightly disorienting — much like the experience of starting a new life in a foreign country, all while navigating language barriers and culture shocks. Visitors will encounter others on the same journey, stopping along the way for moments of reflection. At the top, sheltered by a roof that resembles a silver mushroom cap, the observation platform offers panoramic views of the city and the riverfront.

The port it overlooks once served as a major departure point for millions of Europeans headed to North America, and today, Rotterdam is a city of immigrants, as home to residents from over 170 countries and regions. In this way, the building’s design bridges past and present.

“Fenix is both a reflection of Rotterdam’s diverse communities and a mirror of global migration history. Through the prism of art, it refracts the collective memory and emotional experience of human migration,” says Anne Kremers, the museum’s director. Inside, the museum’s collection of art and historical artifacts, including commissioned works by established and emerging global artists, is presented in an open layout that encourages exploration, framed by the concrete structure, left exposed as a nod to the building’s industrial roots.

Back at ground level, the east frontage opens up to a civic square, a vibrant public space accessible year-round that hosts activities from culinary events to performances. Shifting away from the exclusive nature of cultural institutions past, the Fenix Museum welcomes all to participate and share in Rotterdam’s ongoing story of migration and cultural exchange.