In Progress: Campus Hoogvliet in Rotterdam / Wiel Arets Architects

Architects: Wiel Arets Architects
Location: Lengweg 
3192 BM, Rotterdam
, The Netherlands
Design Team: Wiel Arets, Bettina Kraus, Joris van den Hoogen, Jos Beekhuijzen
Collaborators: Mai Henriksen, Jochem Homminga, Joost Korver, Marie Morin, Julius Klatte, Sjoerd Wilbers, Benine Dekker, Anne-Marie Diederich
Consultants: ABT BV, Wetering Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV
Client: Woonbron
Area: 41100 sqm
Year: 2012
Photographs: Jan Bitter, Courtesy of Wiel Arets Architects

Campus Hoogvliet is a new educational and cultural area located on the southern edge of Rotterdam composed of six buildings encompassing two vocational schools, an art studio, sports building, lyceum, restaurant, retail, and housing facilities.

Each building has an outdoor patio linking the campus’ public space with each building’s private interior. Each of these patios is enclosed by a translucent glass ‘fence’ equal in height to the façades of the ground floor, and each fence contains a ‘gate’ allowing access to the patio from the main public space.

A number of mature green areas surrounding the site have been incorporated into the landscaping, while in contrast each patio will be planted with red Japanese Maple trees.

The project’s site is bounded by infrastructure, and a nearby metro stop ensures the campus is easily accessed by all transportation types. As the vast majority of the campus’ users will not approach by car, the campus is car-free, with parking facilities located in the plinth of the sports building, with bike storage located on the patios.