Rotterdam: The Latest Architecture and News

As part of the 5th International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam, Casanova + Hernandez Architecten will be putting on the ‘Can public space be used to regenerate urban life?’ roundtable discussion today, June 26 at 3:00pm.

This roundtable discussion is based on the one-year postgraduate studio entitled “Public Space Acupuncture”, that has been guided at the Berlage Institute by Helena Casanova and by Jesus Hernandez. An accompanying exhibition will open at 7:00 pm, remaining on view until Sunday, August 12. More information on the participants after the break.

We had the incredible opportunity to interview Winy Maas, the M in MVRDV, one the most influential contemporary practices, which has been able to push the boundaries of our field in different scales, from buildings to master plan, from construction to theory. In this interview Winy shares interesting thoughts on the role of the architect and how he runs this design/research practice.

De Rotterdam is a unique multifunctional building on the shores of the river Maas on the Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) of Rem Koolhaas. Its remarkable mix of functions makes this building a true vertical city.

By following the construction for 4 years (January 2010 – end of 2013), Ruud Sies presents a photographic report on a very special project in the development of Rotterdam, one that also forms a link to the Wilhelminapier as a historic spot. The full report can be viewed here. More images after the break.

Architecture 2.0, the symposium for Architecture, will take place on November 11, 2011. For the third edition of Architecture 2.0, China and India take centre stage. Both countries have a fast-growing economy and a rapidly evolving architectural tradition. The mammoth tasks that await these countries will also contribute to shaping the future of architecture. Representatives of different generations of architects from China and India will shed light on developments in their respective homelands: Charles Correa and Bimal Patel will speak about India, while Zhang Ke and Yung Ho Chang will speak about China. From the Dutch perspective, two speakers will share their experiences of working in these two countries: Jacob van Rijs will talk about MVRDV’s projects in India, and David Gianotten about OMA’s work in China. For more information on the event, please visit here.

Yesterday the mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb and city councilor Hamit Karakus officially started the construction of the new Rotterdam Market Hall (previously featured here). The arched building located in the centre of Rotterdam, developed by Provast and designed by MVRDV is a hybrid of public market and apartment building.

The project with a total of 100.000 m2 is set to be completed in 2014 and part of the current regeneration of Rotterdam’s post war centre. Project developer Provast realizes the building, Unibail Rodamco invested in the shops and restaurants whilst Housing Corporation Vesteda will manage the rental apartments, making the building a socially integrated part of the city.

More images after the break.

The City of Rotterdam held a competition for a mixed-use extension for the City Hall, accommodating public and administrative facilities and a residential program. The competition requests that the mixed-use building becomes “the most sustainable in the Netherlands”.

Five designs were presented by the City, and they will be on public display at the NAI until Sept 13th to receive public feedback, which can also be made through the website. The teams will present to the jury on Septh 23th, and the winner will be announced sometime in October.

The 5 finalists are: Claus en Kaan Architecten, Mecanoo Architecten, Meyer en van Schooten Architecten, OMA and SeARCH.

OMA shared with us their finalist entry, in collaboration with ABT and Werner Sobek Green Technolgies. The project adheres to the highest energy efficiency requirements, and it also considers a sustainable approach in terms of speed of construction and future flexibility of the building through a repeated and flexible structural system.

Images from the other proposals will be featured on another article. Rem Koolhaas’ statement and more images after the break.