Chinese starchitects MAD have released images of their newest project – a spiral staircase and observation deck in Rotterdam.

Set to rise in the city’s historic Katendrecht peninsula, once the site of one of Europe’s oldest Chinatowns, the structure will be built as an extension of Rotterdam's Fenix Warehouse II, which is currently being transformed into a migration history museum.

In a statement, the Netherlands-based Droom en Daad Foundation – which is overseeing the Fenix project – said the future space would contain an art collection showcasing "the universal story of migrants" and host outreach programmes offering "creative, culinary and cultural activities for the neighbourhood, the city, and its visitors”.

According to MAD, the project – which will provide panoramic views of Rotterdam’s cityscape – will be the "first public cultural building in Europe to be designed by a Chinese architectural agency".

Speaking on the observatory, Ma Yansong, MAD’s founder, said: "It will lift body and mind, and be a place of pleasure and contemplation.”

Construction on the project is slated to begin after 2020.