OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

On November 21 OMA finally marked the completion of De Rotterdam, mixed-use vertical city on the river Maas. Efficiency has been very important or even central design parameter from day one, as they stated in OMA. The extreme market play directed the course of the project, but that has been far from a design constraint and in fact has reinforces the original concept. The overall result is a dense, vibrant building for the city, in words of Ellen van Loon, partner in charge. With the completion of the building, a critical mass has been established on the Kop van Zuid, realizing the long-established vision of a second city center south of the Maas.

The building – De Rotterdam – is named after one of the ships on the Holland America Line, which transported emigrants from Europe to New York from the Wilhelmina Pier, next to which the building is located.

The high-rise is composed of the three stacked and interconnecting towers, 44 floors high and with a width of over 100 meters. The building is highly compact, and program mix is organized into distinct, overlapping blocks of commercial office space, residential apartments, hotel and conference facilities, restaurants and cafes. Office employees, residents and hotel guests are brought together in conference, sport and restaurant facilities. The building’s shared plinth is the location of the lobbies to each of the towers, creating a public hub by means of a common hall.

As Rem Koolhaas stated, despite the scale of the building and apparent solidity, the structure’s shifted blocks create a constantly changing appearance, different from every part of the city. The fact that it stands today represents a small triumph of persistence for the city, the developer, the contractor and the architects.

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Netherlands, New York, De Rotterdam, high-rise, tower, harbor, pier, Maas, Ellen van Loon

 

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