Karel Doorman, Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Unconventional with a Sense of History

초록

Unconventional with respect for tradition: The Karel Doorman building stands in the heart of Rotterdam's shopping area and is a remarkable combination of restoration and new development. On top of the Ter Meulen shopping centre - a monument of the post-war reconstruction period - we have built an extremely light-weight construction in steel and wood (See Figure 1 & 2). This unconventional building method - at least in the Netherlands - enabled the construction of a 70 metres high 'glass' residential building with 114 apartments and 156 parking places. In this way a remarkable historic Rotterdam building was preserved for the future while at the same time new housing was created on a sheer impossible location, contributing to the quality of life and social safety in this part of the city.