News

WDKA Graduation show returns back to Keile District this summer! Taking place at various locations, the Graduation Show showcases the diversity of our programmes and presents the work of a new generation of graduates. Advertising & Beyond, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Transformation Design and Animation & Audiovisual Design (installation-based work) Location: Katoenhuis When: 9–11 July 2026 Exhibition opening hours: 9 July: 12:00–22:00 10–11 July: 12:00–20:00 Fashion Sho

Join us and discover the circular experimental site ‘De Start’ on Keilezijweg. During the tour, you will learn more about the processes being tested here and gain insight into the modular, circular stand-alone meeting room by Timbertrix, designed by Superuse Studios.‘De Start’ was launched in 2025 as an experimental site for the processing, storage, and transshipment of secondary raw materials from (bulky) household waste. One of the first focus points was recovering usable w

COLLECTIVITY AS THE FOUNDATION OF CIRCULARITY Across the Netherlands, new initiatives are emerging in which people and communities—often under the radar—are experimenting with alternatives for the future. In the fields of circularity, energy, mobility, nature, food, work, and housing, practices are taking shape that do not wait for policy change but act from a sense of social urgency and imagination. Each operates within its own domain, yet all are connected by a shared searc

Today, circular materials are increasingly being incorporated into design and construction practices. The aesthetics of circular architecture are characterized by an honest, often raw appearance in which reused materials and demountable structures remain visible. The aesthetic focus shifts away from perfection toward a design that “tells a story,” giving materials a second life and creating building structures that can adapt over time. A key feature of circular aesthetics is

From local action to global inspiration: how communities hold the key to a circular future, engaging in entrepreneurial practices that are collective, relational and regenerative in nature. Building on the first edition of Circular Communities (2022), this sequel explores culturally diverse, community-led approaches to circular resource stewardship around the world. These practices demonstrate how communities worldwide collectively generate multiple values – ecological, cultu

As part of exploring collectivity as a foundation for circularity, Carbon Stories is organizing an edition focused on the Accent Towers in Merwehaven. The project was designed by Hoog Over (DOOR architects and Hillen & Roosen), in collaboration with Superuse Studios, and commissioned by Havensteder, Woonbron, and Woonstad Rotterdam. The three social housing towers make circularity at scale tangible and serve as an important example within the M4H area development. In this edi

The Rotterdam Architecture Month kicks off with a lecture by Estelle Barriol, founder of architecture office Studio ACTE and designer of the Test Site Material Depot in M4H. How can we build with reused materials, experiment with low-tech architecture and explore what a circular city could look like? In 2026, Rotterdam Architecture Month takes place in M4H, an area currently undergoing transformation from a port and industrial zone into a mixed urban district. M4H has been de

The exhibition There is No Place Like Keilewerf can be seen at the rear of Keilewerf 2 throughout the entire Architecture Month Rotterdam 2026. This retrospective exhibition was first presented two years ago during the 10th anniversary of the Keilewerf, as part of Placemaking Week Europe 2024. Now the exhibition returns to make the story of the Keilewerf and its community visible once again. The Keilewerf started in 2014 as a vacant 3,180 m² warehouse at Vierhavenstraat 56 an

Come and take a look at the new exhibition by Caroline Bijvoet. Her latest series of 4 large canvases on 'Spoil Regret' is on view until June 29 at CULT=US, located on the ground floor of the Keilepand. This exhibition poses the question: How do place and time determine the value of our possessions? The imagery for 'Verspilspijt' was collected at HER/Rotterdam Circulair. Bijvoet subsequently painted abstractions of this waste in the intermediate zone, already snatched from da

Join the BioBlitz010 in the Keilehaven tidal park on Friday 22 May! During BioBlitz010 2026, residents, experts and nature enthusiasts come together to map the biodiversity of Rotterdam’s city and port. This year, De Urbanisten and De Voedseltuin are organising the second survey in the Keilehaven tidal park. How does it work? Observations are recorded directly in the ObsIdentify app, making the results immediately usable for research and policy. This provides valuable insight

3–28 June | Open Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00–18:00 | KeileZaal, 1st Floor, Keilepand Visit the annual exhibition, which this year centres on the theme The Power of Community. KeileCollectief and AIR present how cooperative and collective models can contribute to a sustainable and future-proof city. The exhibition explores how communities and cooperative organisational models, such as the area cooperative in the Keilekwartier, offer new perspectives on circular urban developmen

Outside the Lines — Emergence Festival Rotterdam 2026 Emergence Festival Rotterdam is a one-day festival where art, technology, and design come together in a “museum in a day” at the Katoenhuis in the Keile District. Under the theme Outside the Lines, we invite visitors to step beyond their comfort zone and explore new perspectives on the world around them. Throughout the day, you move freely through a series of interactive art installations developed by students from TU Delf

As part of Rotterdam Architecture Month 2026, the Keile District becomes the central location of this year’s festival, with the Materialenwerf in the Keile District acting as its beating heart. Opening on 3 June 2026, the Materialenwerf is a temporary materials yard where used building materials are collected, processed, and reused. Throughout the month, it operates as a live testing ground for circular construction—making visible how materials, people, and processes must com

In this immersive performance opera, born from the urgency to learn to navigate a collapsing world, Club Gewalt asks itself the question: how can you retune your senses amidst the constant noise of information predicting the apocalypse? How do we give meaning to a future that is not overflowing with prosperity? We live in a time of polycrisis. We are confronted with advancing fascism, the arrival of the climate crisis, Western complicity in a genocide, fruits and vegetables f

Sensory performance about identity, trauma, and neurodiversity Dyane Donck Collective (NL) SAM (Stop Annoying Me) is a sensory performance in which film, live music, and performance come together in a powerful experience about identity, trauma, and neurodiversity. Memories, fears, and feelings of alienation come back to life when past and present flow into one another. What follows is an intense inner journey in which mental struggle, trauma, and recovery become palpable. Dur

Food • Vinyl • Art • Vintage • Games • workshops Spring is just around the corner and the sun is starting to make its special appearance again! We love our cosy space but we’re also itching to open our doors and get back outside To fulfill that wish, we’re introducing Markus, the newest addition to the Keile District! Starting on April 5th, every first and third Sunday of the month we’ll be hosting an outdoor* cultural market right on our doorstep, complete with food, vintage

Immersive Tech Week is moving to Katoenhuis. A leading international gathering for professionals working at the intersection of immersive technology, XR, spatial computing, performance, storytelling, and digital culture. The programme brings together artists, designers, developers, researchers, producers, and industry leaders to explore how immersive technologies are reshaping perception, communication, and public space. From VR and AR to AI-driven environments, spatial sound

Nous’klaer Festival Night is the nocturnal continuation of the festival, extending the program into a shared club experience across Cult=us and export in Keile District. Rather than an afterparty, the night is conceived as an integral part of the festival. Both venues operate as a single, connected space, allowing visitors to move freely between rooms and across different musical directions. Rooted in the DIY ethos of the M4H district, the program brings together local and in