The largest multifunctional building in the Netherlands has been completed. Not even four years after starting construction, MAB Development and OVG Real Estate have turned over De Rotterdam to its future users. After a period of finishing and furnishing, residents will start to move into this OMA-designed vertical city on the Wilhelmina Pier in early 2014.
De Rotterdam features a total of 160,000 square metres of floor space on an area the size of just one football field. Close to 85% of the building has already been rented out or sold, and the total number of people on the Wilhelmina Pier will be doubled. On average around 5,000 people will occupy the building on a daily basis. Aside from being the most densely built-up piece of land in the Netherlands, this will make it the most densely populated area too.
The project features 60,000 square metres of office space, 1,500 square metres of hospitality and catering space, a four-star lifestyle hotel with conference and event facilities and 280 rooms, 240 apartments and leisure facilities, and a car park with space for 670 vehicles.
According to H. Karakus, alderperson for Housing, Urban Economy, Real Estate and Spatial Planning and Project Councillor for the Rotterdam-Zuid district, “De Rotterdam is a wonderful building which even more firmly puts us on the map as a city of architecture. This is an icon for our city. Aside from this it also strengthens the connection to the city centre – a development that was commenced with the construction of the Erasmus Bridge and the Kop van Zuid. De Rotterdam literally lures people across the bridge into the city’s southern district.”
The signature of OMA/Rem Koolhaas can be found in every detail, such as the 8.5-metre-high central hall that spans the entire width of the building; it is detailed in brass and travertine wall coverings and natural stone flooring, and boasts an impressive atrium. De Rotterdam consists of a six-storey base rising approximately 30 metres. Resting on this base are three transparent towers; floor-to-ceiling windows on all floors open up the building to its environment.
De Rotterdam is a development spearheaded by De Rotterdam C.V., a joint venture made up of MAB Development from The Hague and OVG Projectontwikkeling from Rotterdam. The design of De Rotterdam is by OMA. FGH Bank financed this project and seven different contractors in total were involved in the realization of De Rotterdam: Züblin Nederland (construction), Roodenburgh Installatie Bedrijf (installations), TGM and Scheldebouw (façade), Kone (lifts), Eneco (heating/cooling), and SBB (hotel finishing).
For more information on De Rotterdam, please visit http://oma.com/projects/1997/de-rotterdam.