When Rotterdam’s Lloyd Quarter was undergoing revitalization in 2005, an unlikely architectural star emerged along the Maas River. Nine weathered shipping containers, once carriers of global cargo, found an extraordinary second life as Wijn of Water (Wine or Water)—a shipping container restaurant that would challenge conventional hospitality design. This pioneering project by Carolien Bijvoet represented a bold experiment in modular restaurant design that told a compelling story about adaptation, resourcefulness, and Rotterdam’s enduring connection to maritime commerce.
From Necessity to Innovation: The Birth of a Temporary Container Restaurant
The story of this shipping container restaurant in Rotterdam began with a practical dilemma. The restaurant needed a home while waiting for its permanent space in the nearby Sint Jobsveem building. Rather than constructing a traditional temporary structure, architect Carolien Bijvoet envisioned something more ambitious: a dining establishment built entirely from shipping containers.
“The temporary nature of the project demanded creative solutions,” explained Bijvoet at the time. Working with a modest budget of 165,000 Euros and an extraordinarily tight timeline, the Bijvoet Architectuur container project transformed from concept to completion in just six months—a testament to the inherent efficiency of modular construction.
Crafting Space from Steel: The Container Composition Takes Shape
The architectural team sourced nine second-hand 40-foot containers, each bearing the marks of their previous global journeys. The containers arrived at the site still wearing their industrial heritage, soon to be reimagined as elements in a sophisticated spatial composition.
On the city-facing side, Bijvoet stacked two containers to create a protective wall—a deliberate architectural gesture that heightened the dramatic reveal awaiting guests inside. This solid boundary housed essential mechanical systems and office space while shielding diners from street noise and creating anticipation for what lay beyond.
The design team then orchestrated a careful arrangement of the remaining containers to frame the waterfront experience. One container was positioned vertically—an unexpected move that created both a visual landmark and functional storage space. This upright element stood as a sentinel marking the restaurant’s presence against Rotterdam’s industrial skyline while anchoring the composition.
Engineering Challenges in the Container Transformation
The conversion from shipping vessel to dining establishment presented numerous technical hurdles. The standard containers, measuring 12.2 by 2.5 by 2.9 meters, offered limited interior height—a significant constraint for a public dining space. To address this challenge, the designers made a bold decision: they mounted mechanical systems externally in metal “caterpillar” ducts across the container roofs.
The team then performed surgical interventions on the container shells. They cut away sections of the long walls facing the terraces and inserted expansive glass windows. The original container doors were preserved but fitted with glass panels—maintaining the industrial aesthetic while creating transparency and connection to the surroundings.
“Every design decision balanced preservation of the containers’ essential character with the functional needs of a restaurant,” noted a design critic who visited shortly after the opening. Inside, smaller container-inspired boxes housed utilitarian spaces like restrooms and cold storage, reinforcing the modular theme throughout the experience.
The temporary container restaurant design responded thoughtfully to Rotterdam’s often challenging waterfront conditions. The L-shaped configuration created protective outdoor dining areas that sheltered guests from prevailing winds while maximizing views of the Maas River—a popular feature during the restaurant’s busy summer season.
The arrangement of containers created two distinct terrace spaces that embraced the waterfront, allowing diners to feel connected to Rotterdam’s maritime heritage while remaining protected from the elements. This careful balance between exposure and shelter demonstrated how modular restaurant design could create comfortable microclimates even in exposed harbor settings.
A Legacy Beyond Its Temporary Intention
Though conceived as an interim solution, Wijn of Water quickly became a beloved fixture in Rotterdam’s dining scene. The shipping container restaurant attracted attention not only for its food but for its architectural ingenuity—proving that temporary structures could deliver memorable experiences when approached with creativity and contextual sensitivity.
The project represented an early milestone in what would become a global movement toward container architecture. By demonstrating that shipping containers could be transformed into sophisticated hospitality spaces, the Bijvoet Architectuur container project helped legitimize adaptive reuse in commercial architecture.
As interest in sustainable building practices grew throughout the following decades, the Wijn of Water story continued to offer valuable lessons about material reuse, design efficiency, and contextual response. This modest Rotterdam restaurant, born from necessity and vision, helped chart a course for countless shipping container adaptations that would follow worldwide.
Courtesy Of: Archined
