MVRDV – Lifting Houses

MVRDV was invited by Make It Right (MIR) to design prototype houses as part of revitalizing the Katrina-devastated neighborhood. MVRDV developed 5 escape houses which are all lifted in different ways. The most striking design is shown below.

MVRDV is a Rotterdam, the Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1991. The name is an acronym for the founding members: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. MVRDV produces designs in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape. MVRDV has extensive experience in collaborative design processes. Such collaborative design processes are used in virtually all projects by MRVDV.

MRVDV was picked by the Pink Project because of their fascinating designs and the firm’s methodical research on density. “They use a method of shaping space through complex amounts of data that accompany contemporary building and design processes.”
The products of this approach range from buildings of all types and sizes, to urban designs, to publications and installations. One of their major projects includes the Dutch Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover. This became an innovative business park.



MRVDV’s mission statement for a project incorporates the ideas of their clients and specialists. The clients are intensively involved at an early stage of the design process. The client’s reaction can create a high degree of support for the design or encourage new insights that can lead to specific innovative solutions. The products of such an approach can vary completely from the original ideas that the architects may start with.

MVRDV is not just about style. It is about the future of architecture at large. The firm therefore encourages in a wide range of projects such as exhibitions, films and books.

MVRDV’s approach to architecture often takes the form of a research endeavor. They often work with 'datascapes'. These refer to “a method that involves charting the spatial consequences of all the visible and invisible factors that play a role in the design and construction process.” A few examples are building regulations, technical requirements and legislation.