Touring Rotterdam Makers District (Video)

The Port of Rotterdam recently hosted a tour of the Rotterdam Makers District, which is comprised of RDM Rotterdam and Merwe-Vierhavens, for Breakbulk Europe Event Director Bradley Smeeton, and Victoria Pope, Head of Content.

The visit highlighted Breakbulk Events & Media’s planning and development of Breakbulk Europe, which will be held May 17-19 at the Rotterdam Ahoy. This will be the first year the more than decade long event will be held in Rotterdam and many plans are in the works to particularly highlight innovation and discovery, including a tech and innovation theatre and a Discovery Zone, offering hands-on experiences of breakthrough industry technology. (Check out below a video of the visit)

Marianne Bego and Peter Blokdijk of the Port of Rotterdam served as tour guides for RDM Rotterdam, which has been developed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Municipality of Rotterdam. The Rotterdam Makers District comprises RDM Rotterdam and Merwe-Vierhavens, or M4H, and it is the region’s place for the innovative manufacturing industry.

“The Rotterdam Makers District is developing into a lively area with a wide range of amenities, living, learning, culture and events,” Bego said.

The Breakbulk team toured the Innovation Dock, which features more than 7,500 square meters of space, dedicated to supporting start-ups and research and development departments of established multinationals.

Previously the site of a shipyard, the building has seen extensive renovation in recent years with Dutch architecture practice Groosman Partners adding a suspended office environment with an additional 1,000 square meters of office space to support a new generation of innovation.

While the Innovation Dock has been established, M4H is an area in transition from a (former) port and industrial area to a new, energetic district to live, work and learn. The M4H spatial framework established in 2019 by the Port Authority and the Municipality of Rotterdam, outlines what M4H will look like in the future.

The tour displayed projects in progress by students and start-up companies. These projects included 3D printing of propellors to enable ships to be fixed out at sea, 3D printing of coral reef to replace the historical damage in our oceans, floor tiles that capture energy and are made using 50 percent of plastic from ocean clean-up programs, as well as wind turbines suitably sized for ships and residential areas. All these projects are crucial for the sustainable future of our industry and the planet, Pope said.

“We are looking forward to hosting some of these start-up projects at our Discovery Zone at Breakbulk Europe in May as well as the students who will be participating in our Education Day,” she added.

More information about business locations in the Rotterdam Makers District is available here, or by email.