“ReviveR,” a new exhibition by MVRDV opened at the Shenzhen Women & Children’s Centre, focused on the different narratives surrounding its hosting building, from the role of play and social interaction, to the importance of fun environments for people of all ages, along with the need to reduce carbon emissions by applying principles of circularity. The exhibition is on display in the building’s 5th-floor auditorium from December 6, 2023, until February 28, 2024.
According to the architects, the ReviveR exhibition is understood as a kind of manifesto starting from the question “What would our cities look like if we pursued similarly playful, social, and sustainable transformations of all existing buildings?” To respond, MVRDV displays 27 of its key designs, grouped around three themes: projects that transform existing buildings, projects that exemplify MVRDV’s playful style; and projects in the Southeast Asia region. The center of the exhibition contains the ‘core projects’ that respond to all three themes, which include Shenzhen Women & Children’s Centre.
Circularity plays an important role in the exhibition. On a literal level, the curves and circles of the building’s floorplans are recreated in the layout, turning the three project categories into a Venn diagram with the core projects at the center. The materials used, including the supporting bamboo structures, are also locally sourced and reusable.
Additionally, the displays strives to ensure the engagement of even the youngest audience. wo interactive worktables engage children in architectural exploration, where they can draw their future city or build it with building blocks. Animal tracks guide them through the exhibits, symbolizing project locations. An exhibition brochure doubles as a guide to animal tracks, featuring coloring games and origami fan instructions. The height of the exhibits is also considered, incorporating an additional eye-level display at 1 meter, catering specifically to children.
It is poetic, in a sense, that we are able to put on this exhibition not only for designers, not even just for adults, but also for the children that visit this building. The projects that we present in ReviveR aim to ensure a better future for the world and imagine what that future could look like. One day, the children that visit here will be the custodians of that future. They will, I hope, push the ideas we have started to explore to levels that we can’t even imagine today. If we play even the smallest role in inspiring them, we have succeeded. - MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs
Recently, MVRDV has inaugurated the Atelier Gardens HAUS 1, a project developed in collaboration with Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten. The project included the renovation of an outdated office building from the 1990s, transforming it into an eye-catching destination in Berlin. The office, together with Orange Architects, has also released images of the NUVO project, a new mixed-use complex to be built in Ukraine’s capital.
