`Forum Rotterdam' is an ambitious and daring extension of the historical post office located on the Coolsingel in Rotterdam. The design is based on the conservation of the valuable monument and the largest possible renewal via an extension above the existing building.
The post office is a beacon in the ever changing city landscape and an essential pillar on which the increasing pressure on the city centre should be able to rely upon. While striving to conserve its scarce monuments , Rotterdam wants to promote diversity, renewal and cultural experimenting. For this reason, the Municipality of Rotterdam recently started the campaign “Rotterdam Durft” (transl. “Rotterdam Dares”). EEA’s concept for the ‘Forum Rotterdam’ draws inspiration from this campaign and translates the ambitions of the New Rotterdam into built reality.
`Forum Rotterdam' is a melting pot of disciplines and cultures. As extension above the existing post office, the forum includes a commercial centre as well as a hotel, apartments, offices, a museum, a platform for political and cultural debate, a theatre, a congress centre, a health club and a creative centre.
The building characterises itself by the homogeneous integration of all components. The functions of the programme do not lead a chaotic coexistence; instead all programmatic elements are interwoven with each other under one roof. The `Forum Rotterdam' is a breeding place for synergy, mutual inspiration and daring initiatives.
With the recent focus on the development of the waterfront and the Kop van Zuid area and the redevelopment of the Central Station, the centre of Rotterdam is threatened to be forgotten as an essential element of the city’s development. Bringing together a plethora of functions in one high-quality environment therefore is an important means to strengthen the status of the city centre. The “Forum Rotterdam” offers an ideal opportunity to unite Rotterdam’s current and future ambitions under one roof. The historic post office plays an important role in this context. It should not merely be an attraction on its own, but should trigger a whole series of new developments in the ‘New Rotterdam.’
competition 2008
