The city's most acclaimed contemporary building is easily De Rotterdam (derotterdam.nl). Designed by OMA, whose star architect was Rotterdam-born Rem Koolhaas, this "vertical city" is a castle of contemporary design across three Jenga-like interconnected towers. Completed in 2013 on the Zuiden waterfront, it's the coolest government building anywhere, comprising mostly city council offices but also apartments and a hotel where you can visit the cocktail bar.
The €340 million building was inspired by Koolhaas' love for movies; pre-starchitect, he considered a filmmaking career. He envisioned that when viewed from passing cars, diverse perspectives would unfold across the six stories and interconnecting towers. In the original design, the towers didn't touch.
