Description

Urban context

On a converted former harbor site on Kop van Zuid in southern Rotterdam, this
project on a forty-hectare site is a “piece of the city within the city.”
Surrounded by water on three sides, the former pier has been occupied by a block
with large perforations. In contrast to the classic perimeter block, with its
continuous edges and eave line, this is a varied mix of narrow, low, and tall
volumes. Thanks to the descending heights, it offers a powerful urban silhouette
to the north but a smaller-scale look on its southern edge.

Ground-floor zone

The monolithic volumes are placed on the old pier at a clear distance from the
water. Between the hard edges of the building and the edge of the water are
attractive public spaces, with generous promenade areas and wide sidewalks. The
blocks were placed at a distance from one another so that a green space appears
between them. Public, semipublic, and private spaces are carefully
distinguished. The entrances to the buildings, some of which have spacious
lobbies, help establish identity in urban space. Via broad corridors one arrives
on the courtyard sides, which feature ground-level outdoor spaces for various
uses.

Building structure

This building block of the city houses 625 apartments, commercial space, a
day-care center, and an athletic club with six tennis courts within a broad
spectrum of diverse building, access, and apartment typologies. They include
privately financed condominiums, public housing, spacious penthouse apartments,
units with views on one, two, or more sides, apartments occupying an entire
floor, maisonettes, and three-story residences with roof patios.

Facade

The austere composition of glass and masonry results in a heavy, solid
architecture. The complex ensemble evokes associations with old industrial port
buildings. The contrast of large-scale physicality and broad diversity mediates
between the monumentality of the former industrial sites and the new residential
scale. Particularly striking is the terracing of the north-south-oriented slab,
which runs from twelve down to five stories. The terrace apartments on the roof
offer spectacular panorama views of the city and harbor.

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Originally published in: Ulrike Wietzorrek, Housing+: On Thresholds, Transitions, and Transparencies, Birkhäuser, 2014.