Buildings by Women: Rotterdam is out now — an inspiring new guide celebrating the impact of female architects on the city’s skyline. With 50 featured projects, the book invites readers to rediscover Rotterdam through the lens of women who have shaped its built environment. From civic spaces to landmark icons, it’s a journey of creativity, innovation, and legacy.
Among the featured architects is Mecanoo’s own Francine Houben. Her inclusion highlights our studio’s lasting contribution to Rotterdam, beginning with our very first commission: the youth housing project at Kruisplein. Winning the competition in the early 1980s, this assignment marked the start of Mecanoo’s journey and helped define a new standard for public housing — proving that social architecture can, and must, be beautiful. Designed for non-traditional households, the 1985 complex responded to the social dynamics of the era with an innovative and flexible approach that remains relevant today.
Another featured Mecanoo project, the Montevideo tower, completed in the early 2000s, stands prominently on Wilhelmina Pier — once the gateway for ocean liners to America. Drawing on the site’s maritime legacy, the design evokes the energy of 1930s American skyscrapers, with stacked volumes and a dramatic cantilever above the quay.
With photography by Loes van Duijvendijk and essays that offer historical and personal insights, Buildings by Women: Rotterdam is both an elegant and practical guide to the city’s diverse architectural stories.
Team: Sofie van Brunschot, Laurence Ostyn, Catja Edens, Sara Duisters, Erica Smeets-Klokgieter, Loes van Duijvendijk, Saskia van der Meer.
Explore Buildings by Women via NAi Booksellers, and get your copy here.