by Joris STOLWIJK

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands

Without structure, there is chaos.

Since people tend to prefer structure over chaos, many European cities have been built in a certain way. Organizing the available space piece by piece, one building at a time. Growing organically, old and new structures coexist and complement each other.

READ DAAN'S REFLECTION ON ROTTERDAM

In the case of Rotterdam, the city had no choice but to start with a clean slate after the entire center was bombed during World War II. Rebuilding from the ground up has proven to be tough, but now more than ever, Rotterdam is profiling itself as a city reborn.

There is a remarkable positive vibe going around in what used to be considered Amsterdam’s ugly brother. And this positivity hasn’t gone unnoticed, with international media suddenly discovering Rotterdam as the next hot destination.

Architecture has played a key part in this transformation: in search of a new identity for this city, it is the structures, geometries and patterns of the built environment which have given Rotterdam a new face.

And meanwhile, the people of Rotterdam and their initiatives have given it a new soul.

This photo series is a search for the structures, patterns and geometries that give Rotterdam it’s face.

Sometimes these architectural statements are bold and big, sometimes it’s in the details.

you can click on the pictures to enlarge them

There are buildings scraping the sky, but also bridges which unite the two halves of the city.

There's function and there's appealing form.

JORIS STOLWIJK | INSTAGRAM

Read Daan Schneider's reflection on Rotterdam here