How Rotterdam is Redesigning for Water

Here, 85 percent of the population lives below sea level, and water management is woven into the urban fabric.

The film series ties directly to themes established at the Foundation's 2025 Forum in Venice, which brought architects, engineers, urban planners, climate scientists, and policymakers together to address one of the era's most urgent challenges: how to build and support flood-resilient cities and communities.

The opening documentary in the three-part series convenes three of the voices most actively reshaping the conversation on cities and water: Henk Ovink, Executive Director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water; Saskia Van Stein, Director of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam; and Winy Maas, Founding Partner and Principal Architect at MVRDV.

Together, they explore how Rotterdam is turning water into a design opportunity — from public squares that double as stormwater reservoirs to a new cultural landmark rising on land reclaimed from the sea.

"Rotterdam, the Netherlands at large, is like a Petri dish. This is where we can test the future of our planet and make it a reality,” explains Maas.

“It’s not only an opportunity for a city like Rotterdam, but also a responsibility: to show the world that the future we aspire to is something we can really build."

Holcim Foundation’s documentary film series will return to new cities as the Foundation's focus evolves, carrying the same on-the-ground approach into each new chapter.