Office-blocks in the harbour of Rotterdam

In the Rotterdam harbour area Waalhaven the architects ZJA designed four office blocks for several tenants.

Four independent entities rise from a sea of asphalt with parking spaces. The four blocks have been linked by means of a 'red carpet': a pedestrian route made out of wood which links the entrances. In form and material the steel facades and the bright colours of the buildings refer to harbour activities and freight containers.

Parking is located directly underneath the buildings which makes finding the entrances easy. Colours indicate the parking places on the asphalt. Alongside the water a zone for pedestrians and bicycles is distinguished from the car park by higher trees and a bed of cobble stone.

The four blocks each contain four to six floors adding up to a total of 20000 square meters. The offices have been designed on a raster of 14.40m broad and 7.20m long and have a height of 3.50m. On the roadside the facades offer a lot of space for company logos, at the waterfront side the floors protrude and the facades are much more open, providing in meeting-rooms with a spectacular view on the port of Rotterdam.

Client: OVG