Door MVRDV ontworpen NIO House in Rotterdam geopend
© Ossip van Duivenbode

MVRDV-designed NIO House in Rotterdam opened

24 Mar 2023  •  News  •  By Ronnie Weessies

A multifunctional showroom for electric car brand NIO opened in Rotterdam on Thursday. The Chinese car brand's first Dutch branch on the Meent was designed by MVRDV. The interior of the NIO House combined the "Rotterdam rawness" with the company's minimalist aesthetic with warm touches.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode

In addition to a car showroom, NIO House consists of a café, living room, children's play area, gallery, forum for presentations and work space. Through large windows, the showroom opens onto both streets on which the corner building is located. By opening the sliding windows in the side façade, interior and exterior literally blend together here.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode
photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode

Cars are displayed behind the windows to passersby of the 650-square-meter NIO House. At each corner, one special car is displayed in a part of the space that is shielded by a wall on which work by different artists is displayed. The color gradient in the floor and walls - from white to caramel - shows where the gallery at the front of the showroom overflows into the club and café area.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode

Communal table
A long communal table is placed in the heart of the space where visitors can drink their coffee, work on their laptops or have meetings. Because the table is suspended on pulleys, it can be easily lifted, creating a free space. The walls are also movable, making the space flexible and also good for presentations, workshops and lectures.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode
photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode

To complement the white and caramel tones of the main space, the other rooms have been given accent colors. Next to the table is a lounge with blue furniture. Behind the main space are two meeting rooms with warm red accents, referring to the red brick buildings of the city's industrial heritage. The children's play area is done in a cheerful shade of yellow.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode

Sustainable certified wood
The floor consists of terrazzo-like material, with recycled plastic collected from the Meuse River as the main ingredient. Sustainable certified wood with a bio-based coating was used for the furniture. Carpets and upholstery consist of 100 percent natural fibers and vegan leather, MVRDV reports.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode
photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode

Rotterdam's NIO House is the second branch MVRDV designed for the car brand, following an earlier branch in China's Chongqing.

photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode
photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode
photo_credit © Ossip van Duivenbode
© Ossip van Duivenbode