One of the main challenges that the IABR–Project Atelier Rotterdam faced was how the design offices .FABRIC and James Corner Field Operations were to visualize the material flows that together constitute the urban landscape’s metabolism.

After a thorough analysis of all available data and information an impressive series of maps was produced, in fact the first visualization of Rotterdam’s metabolism. But flows do flow, and therefore it was decided to produce a series of animation films that shows how air, water, biota, food, energy, waste, humans, cargo, and sand and clay "flow" through the urban landscape of Rotterdam, and how the city can make smarter and better use of these flows.
Together with the elaboration of four integrated development strategies and four models that present concrete project proposals for these strategies, these flow animations make up the presentation of the results of the IABR–Project Atelier Rotterdam at the exhibition IABR–2014–URBAN BY NATURE–, open to the public from 29 May to 23 August in the Kunsthal and the Natural History Museum Rotterdam.

credits
conceived by .FABRIC and JCFO for IABR–2014–PROJECT ATELIER ROTTERDAM
animation by Submarine
© IABR, 2014