Rotterdam's Kop van Zuid neighbourhood was once characterized by abandoned port areas, but has since become an urban hub that unites the northern and southern sections of the city. Located across the city centre on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas, the burgeoning peninsula is home to preserved warehouses now occupied by cultural institutions and restaurants, plus a forest of highrise buildings designed by some of the world's greatest and most influential architects. 

Kop van Zuid from the Erasmus Bridge in June 2008, image retrieved from Google Street View

The tremendous vertical growth of the area is perhaps best viewed from the cable-stayed Erasmus Bridge. The image above shows what the view was like in June 2008. The Renzo Piano-designed KPN Tower, which opened in 2000, is visible in the centre. It was one of the first major highrises that prompted further revitalization of these waterfront properties, a total rejuvenation that continued when Foster + Partner's World Port Center completed one year later. The 152-metre Montevideo, a residential tower with a red, black, and white facade, finished construction in 2005.

Kop van Zuid from the Erasmus Bridge in July 2015, image retrieved from Google Street View

The most significant new additions to the area are immediately visible in the image above. At the far left, the site that had been identified by its three red cranes in the before image is now occupied by the office tower Maastoren. At 165 metres, it has maintained the title of tallest building in Rotterdam since its completion in 2010. The mixed-use De Rotterdam complex is the most imposing of this new class of skyscrapers. Designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, three interconnected volumes include space for a hotel, apartments, offices, and retail. Together, these stacked blocks result in a gleaming vertical city over 150 metres high. 

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