Schouwburgplein

Schouwburgplein is a vast, raised square paved in wood and metal, dominated by four massive, red hydraulic light masts that resemble towering cranes. Designed by Adriaan Geuze and the firm West eight in the nineteen nineties, it replaced a conventional parking lot to create an urban stage for the city. During the Second World War, the center of Rotterdam was largely flattened by bombardment, and this square serves as a deliberate, experimental attempt to stitch the fractured city back together through public performance.