MVRDV

Maas and Van Rijs worked at OMA, De Vries at Mecanoo before starting MVRDV.

The trio studied architecture together at the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands and won the "Europan 2" competition with their project "Berlinvoids" in 1991 before founding MVRDV two years later. The situation for starting a new office in the Netherlands was favourable – government support for young architects means all three received a grant to help start their architectural practice.

It took some time for the company to get going, working without a fixed office until the firm's first major commission arrived. This was the new offices for the public broadcasting corporation VPRO in Hilversum, the Netherlands (1993–1997). Other early built works include the Wozoco housing in Amsterdam (1994–1997) and the Dutch Pavilion at the Hannover World Exhibition Expo 2000 (1997–2000). These were followed by a business park 'Flight Forum' in Eindhoven, Gemini Residence silo conversion in Copenhagen, the Silodam Housing complex in Amsterdam, the Matsudai Cultural Centre in Japan, Unterföhring office campus near Munich, the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam, an urban plan and housing in The Hague Ypenburg, the rooftop – housing extension Didden Village in Rotterdam, the cultural Centre De Effenaar in Eindhoven, the boutique shopping building Gyre in Tokyo, part of Veldhoven's Maxima Medical Centre, and the iconic Mirador housing estate in Madrid.

Completed projects between 2012 and 2014 include a public library in Spijkenisse, the Netherlands, a shopping center in Schijndel, the Netherlands, a bank headquarters in Oslo, Norway, and the Market Hall in Rotterdam combining housing and shopping within the shape of an arch.

Projects from the early 2020s included various housing projects in the Netherlands, China, France, India, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, a sustainable office building in Paris, a central business district in Shanghai, an office tower in Poznań, a museum of rock music and a community cultural centre in Roskilde and Frederiksberg respectively, large scale urban masterplans in Oslo, Bordeaux and Caen, an entire new eco-city in Logrono, Spain, a structural development vision for Dutch New Town Almere, the masterplan for the Dutch Floriade Horticultural Expo 2022, also in Almere, and a research masterplan into the future of greater Paris which was commissioned by French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë.

MVRDV also maintains a research-oriented project called "The Why Factory", which the company describes as an "independent think-tank and research institute". It is run together with the Delft University of Technology.

The Why Factory

The Why Factory is a global think tank and research institute at Delft University of Technology, led by professor Winy Maas. Its research revolves around analyzing urban developments and providing scenarios for future cities and societies. There is particular focus on opening engaging the public in architectural debate through exhibitions, workshops, publications and panel discussions. Founded in 2007, the think tank also provides an experimental outlook on the urban landscape of the future by exploring imaginary narratives and their interlinked new social contexts. To develop scenarios further, the Why Factory also uses computational design tools for analyzing and generating these concepts.

Some of research projects of MVRDV:

Criticism

MVRDV's rise to that of a significant force within the architecture industry has been accompanied by critical voices. The Markthal in Rotterdam, despite winning several awards, did not meet with universal acclaim. Rob Bevan of Architectural Review described it as being part of an overall mistaken preference in Rotterdam for a "stodgy diet of instant icons" and indicative of "noodle-headed re-shaping and architectural gymnastics", the implication being that more modest designs as part of a more integrated city-wide planning would create more successful buildings, although Bevan tempered his criticism in acknowledging that "There is curiosity value then in MVRDV’s immovable feast with its seemingly calculated jolie laide proportions and it has brought vigour to a corner of the city demanding it".

The urban and architectural geographer Mark Minkjan expressed a belief that contemporary architects often serve as makeup artists of sales pitches, or producers of visually pleasing "eye candies" using MVRDV's "Valley" to illustrate his view. As a case study, he made a specific critique of the renderings of Valley, an MVRDV project located in an emerging business district of Amsterdam and subsequently named the world's best skyscraper in the 2021 Emporis Awards. Minkjan saw the renderings as cosmetic, deceptive images that hid the environmental, financial challenges that would occur during and after the building's construction, saying "In reality... the building will never turn out like the rendering". Furthermore, despite "Valley's" commercial spaces receiving BREEAM "Excellent" certification, the building's energy performance being 30% better than local regulations require, and the residential area scoring 8 out of 10 on the GPR Building Scale, Minkjan nonetheless accuses the office of greenwashing, stating his view that the unrealistic illustration of rooftop gardens and terraces, which ignore the effects of smog, wind, poor soil and changing seasons, deflect attention from the sizeable CO2 emissions of the building construction. Minkjan's criticism notwithstanding, "Valley" has been positively received, and garden designer Piet Oudolf worked with MVRDV on the building, using around 13,500 plants in 370 planting areas over 27 floors.

MVRDV's design of the Marble Arch Mound in London was not well received. Critics named the creation of an artificial hill around and over London's Marble Arch to be pointless, a massive waste of time and material, a pile of rubble, and London's worst attraction. MVRDV acknowledged the poor architectural result but also pointed to Westminster City Council for watering down their design, excluding the studio from overseeing the construction, and ignoring their advice.