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6 x to Build Community
True circularity can only be achieved collectively. This edition of Rotterdam Architecture Month is all about collaboration and finding new solutions to the major challenges of our time. The programme offers various opportunities to explore these themes and get involved yourself. Whether you are interested in cooperative housing, swimming in the Rijnhaven, or are an engaged professional in the design or construction sector, these events invite you to help build stronger communities and greater civic engagement.
Photographer: Aad Hoogendoorn
Book Launch: Circular Communities
In their new book, urban designer Els Leclercq, architect Mo Smit, and regenerative entrepreneurship expert Fátima Delgado Medina demonstrate that communities hold the key to a circular future through entrepreneurial practices that are collective, relational, and regenerative in nature.
This event celebrates the book through presentations, short videos, and conversations with representatives from Afrikaanderwijk Coöperatie, Pelican Bay Coöperatie, Nuvoni Research Centre, Easy Urban Green Growers, Lewmo, Kampung Kollektive, and Bouwtuin.
Rotterdamse Cooperative Housing Day
Living together is the future. Housing cooperatives contribute to a livable city and offer a powerful, proven, and community-driven alternative between social housing and the commercial housing market.
All Rotterdam residents interested in collective and cooperative forms of housing are invited to join this afternoon of presentations and discussions. Together, participants will explore the question: what is needed to make housing cooperatives possible in Rotterdam?
Event: Comminity on board
The Floating Park in the Rijnhaven will be transformed into a lively gathering place for local residents during this afternoon programme.
Learn more about open-water swimming from the Rotterdam Lifesaving Brigade, build a boat using recycled materials, and share your ideas and dreams for the future of the Rijnhaven.
This event has been sustainably organised by students from the Urban Life & Placemaking programme at Breda University of Applied Sciences.
21 June | Floating Park | Free
Photographer: Aad Hoogendoorn
Day Conference: The Power of Community
Major social challenges are increasingly being addressed collectively. Across the Netherlands, communities are experimenting with new approaches to circularity, energy, mobility, nature, food, work, and housing.
During this day conference, community leaders and practitioners will engage in dialogue, exchange valuable experiences, and learn from one another’s strengths and vulnerabilities.
23 June | Keilepand | Free, with registration. (Optional: lunch €12,95)
Circular Meet-up #4: Building New Networks
Circularity is not only a technical challenge but also a social and cultural one.
During this meet-up, experts and professionals will explore how new ways of sourcing and sharing materials can emerge, and how isolated silos within the construction sector can be transformed into circular networks.
Following a series of presentations, there will be an open discussion, and the programme will conclude with networking drinks.
25 June | Test Site Materialenwerf | Free, with registration
Model of pavilion by Studio ACTE | Photographer: Paul Swagerman
Photographer: Fred Ernst
Rotterdam Architecture Month Exhibition: The Power of Community
Collaboration is not an optional extra—it is a prerequisite for developing integrated solutions to urgent social and spatial challenges.
In this exhibition, KeileCollectief and AIR demonstrate how cooperative and collective models can contribute to a sustainable and future-proof city.
Rotterdam serves as the starting point for the exhibition, featuring a wide range of examples, from energy and housing cooperatives to neighbourhood organisations and worker collectives. The exhibition also highlights inspiring best practices from across the Netherlands.
Are we once again on the brink of a cooperative transformation?
