Rotterdam is Europe’s main port, the port area stretches along the Rhine from the city centre towards the sea, its industries and cranes are the icons of the port city. The north east of Rotterdam is a sharp contrast to the general image of the city dominated by industrial activity and modern architecture: a green suburban area of great natural beauty. The historic neighbourhood of Kralingen, parklands, the river Rotte and a series of lakes with riparian leisure facilities such as yacht harbours mark this affluent part of the city. The area would be a real oasis in the dense urban fabric but it is brutally split by a motorway and train rail. The main artery of the Benelux, a motorway which connects the 3 main ports and generates constant traffic and pollution, cuts through this green area. The main eastern train lines run next to the motorway. Crouched against the infrastructure a series of industries are located, in a strange paradox surrounded by the nicest parks of the city.
The recently completed 21 storey UNStudio Tower forms part of the Mahler 4 urban complex, a cluster of six buildings located in the heart of the South Axis in Amsterdam. The South Axis connects Schiphol Airport to the major business areas of Amsterdam South.
Mahler 4 Urban Complex - Christian Richters Photography
Architect: UNStudio
Client: Mahler 4 VOF, Consortium G&S Vastgoed, ASR Vastgoed, ING Real Estate
Location: Gustav Mahlerlaan, Zuid-as, Amsterdam
Program: offices
Building area: 28.280 m²
Volume: 118.878 m³
Height: 85m, 21 floors
Status/phase: Realised
Executive architect: van den Oever Zaaijer & Partners
The ‘Baljurk-project” (baljurk = evening-dress, ball gown) is situated in the centre of The Hague, next to the old Passage. The construction of the Passage in 1882 has transformed the urban tissue. Before this transformation there used to be a meandering transition between the two streets “Kettingstraat” and the “Achterom”, cause by the fact that the “Achterom” used to be a modest stream. This organic flow is unique in the context of The Hague’s rectangular lay-out. By consequence of the construction of the Passage this smooth transition was converted into a straight angle. The Baljurk-project is exactly placed on this corner.
The V Tower is part of the Flight Forum in Eindhoven, an industrial park with an urban plan by MVRDV. It is based on six clusters dropped loosely into the landscape and accessed from a looping road, a branch connection of the A2. The tower, which contains offices, is situated in ‘cluster 1’, where all buildings with office functions are concentrated. The site is cut across its full length by a parking garage whose roof creates a platform for a second urban level, which even contains a bus line. While the main entrance of the tower is related to the elevated level, delivery and parking take place at the level of the ring road.
The V Tower
Architects: Wiel Arets Architects
Location: Flight Forum 565, 5657 DR Eindhoven, Antwoordnummer 10672, 5600 WB Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Project team: Wiel Arets, Daniel Meier, Natali Gagro, Alex Kunnen
Site supervisors: Flight Forum
Furniture design: urban planner
Date of design: 2006 (Commission received March 2006)
Date of completion: Autumn 2009
Budget: € 6.050.000- € 1750.00 per m2
Photographs: Jan Bitter, Christian Richters
Client: Dis Valq /Valid
Area: 3451,55 m2
Software used: Drawn using Vectorworks and renderings are created using Photoshop
Once the villa on Lingedijk 30 had been acquired, bureau SLA were commissioned to turn the two buildings into a home for the National Glass Museum. It was suggested to turn Cochius’ former residence into an exhibition area and to use the second villa as offices, storage facilities and a cafeteria. While this fulfilled functional requirements, it seemed like a missed opportunity to us at bureau SLA, as the new situation would appear to be not very different from the old one. The museum would have more space, indeed, but this would not be visible from the outside.
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