We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our weekly Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.

Rotterdam suffered heavy damage during the Second World War, losing historic treasures that had defined the city's landscape up to that point. As a result, the second largest city in the Netherlands boasts a diverse architectural environment comprised of skyscrapers and modern mid-rises. It's become a staging ground for design experimentation. Rotterdam also happens to be the home base for the bold visionaries at MVRDV, whose work pushes structural boundaries and ignores conventional built forms. 

Rendering of Markthal Rotterdam, image via MVRDV

MVRDV was selected after a design competition in 2004 asked bidders to create a hybrid residential and market building. Hygiene laws that mandate covered areas for traditional open-air meat and fish markets led to the opportunity to create an arched structure that would house residences and provide a protective sarcophagus for the active food frenzy below. 

The completed Markthal Rotterdam, image by Flickr user Rick Ligthelm via Creative Commons

Renderings for the project showed the 228 residences arranged on the exterior of a grey bulbous mass clad in Chinese granite, the same material Rotterdam is paved with. Four levels of underground parking and nearly 5,000 square metres of retail space were also proposed. Behind the two bookending glazed walls, a colourful mural by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam depicts the fresh produce that visitors can expect to find within the bustling space.

The completed Markthal Rotterdam, image by Flickr user Frans de Wit via Creative Commons

Opened in 2014, the final product is a near-perfect match to the initial artistic illustrations. Not only is the juxtaposition between the grey cladding and vivid vaulted ceiling just as striking as originally depicted, the temple of food has become one of the most notable tourist attractions in the city. The transparency of the suspended glass facade acts as a public invitation while allowing the interior to blend into the cultural fabric of the neighbourhood. 

Inside Markthal Rotterdam, image by Flickr user Frans de Wit via Creative Commons

We will return next Friday with another comparison!