Bridging the Gap

Design Process 

The design process started by going over the brief and looking up references. This formed the inspiration for the first concept designs. With a lot of different design concepts, it was important to find a common base to further develop a core concept. The main takeaway from the different concept ideas is that the design should have a distinctive element or theme, making it stand out from other skyscrapers while still preserving the theme for the rest of the urban context. The building should have a good connection to the city, ty, opening the building up, rather than closing it off. The design should also be organic, sustainable, and futuristic. This base for a design then further developed into a concept: “walking through a vertical city”. 

Concept idea 1

Concept idea 2

Concept idea 3

Concept idea 4

final concept idea

While still in the concept design phase, we also found a site for the skyscraper. The site is located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. With the location of the site, more inspiration came to us for the design. As the site is located in Rotterdam, in between water, we decided to include the surroundings in the design. Ultimately we settled on two rectangular buildings, connected to one another by organic bridges. These bridges are open to the public, creating an open path through the buildings. The rest of the plot will be a park, to draw more people onto the plot. In this park, the history and location of the site will be included, by using the surrounding water and using the trees, the street “Boompjes” is named after.  

The final design was created further enhance these ideas. The rectangular buildings are connected by a core/gap of bridges. The rectangular buildings are covered in an organic façade, except for the core.  

 The final design (isometric view)

Concept  

Ultimately the concept is focused on the idea that the skyscraper should be inclusive of the city, rather than shutting it out. The open core between the buildings allows people to go through the building and create a social atmosphere. The rest of the plot will be used as a park, to draw more people into social situations.  

Concept section

Program 

As the design is focused on opening the skyscraper up to the public and city, the functions within the skyscraper should also reflect this. Therefore, the ground floor has a public function with, for example, a café and shops. The three floors above will consist of flexible office spaces. As working from home is increasing in popularity, it is important for these office spaces to be transformable for any use someone might need. The rest of the skyscraper will be used for residences, as the housing shortage is a big problem in the Netherlands, especially in a big city like Rotterdam. The skyscraper will house different types of apartments and studios. The top floor will have a public function again. As the highest point of the skyscraper, this floor will serve as a viewpoint of the city of Rotterdam. A restaurant with a view of Rotterdam will be located on one side of the open core. On the other side, there will be a venue that can serve multiple functions, looking over the other side of Rotterdam.  

Structure and material 

The load-bearing structure will mostly consist of timber. A combination of CLT and GLT floors, walls, and beams will form the load-bearing structure in a 6 by 6 meters grid. In addition, steel beams will be used at places where the span is too large, like the bridges in the open core. Finally, the elevator shafts will form concrete cores to prevent rotation. The choice of a timber structure was made to enhance the sustainability of the skyscraper. Timber is used as a sustainable building material in the Netherlands, especially since there is more timber produced than used.  

The load-bearing structure is created in such a way, that it keeps the interior open for transformations in the future. Especially the office floors are designed in a way that there is a lot of flexibility to even change the function in the short term if that proves to be necessary. The rest of the plot also allows for transformations in the future. Ideally, the remainder of the plot stays a park for social encounters, as there are very few of these spaces in the vicinity. However, if necessary, the park can be easily transformed into another necessary function.  

The site 

The site is located at Boompjes, 3011 XC Rotterdam. Rotterdam is a city in the Netherlands that is known for its high-rise buildings and is looking to expand its skyline with more skyscrapers. Rotterdam has a so-called 'high-rise vision” (Hoogbouwvisie) which has predetermined spaces for high-rise buildings. After picking a specific site in the specific areas allocated by the municipality of Rotterdam, more specific research could be done. 

In this research, the history of the plot and street came to light. The name of the street, ‘Boompjes’, translates to little trees. This name goes back to the 17th century, also called the “Golden age” in the Netherlands. In 1615, linden trees were planted in the whole street, and willows were planted closer to the water. Eventually, the street became very important for the harbor area and the trees had to be removed so that new buildings could be built. Currently, the street is mostly known for its many flags. There are 230 flags to be exact, 174 for all the nationalities in Rotterdam, and about 50 more for a special event. 

Old image of Boompjes 

The street is in between the Nieuwe Maas and the Scheepmakershaven, so the street is surrounded by water. This allows for typical views of Rotterdam all throughout the building, especially in the open core. The site is in between a residential skyscraper and a high-rise building of the government. The site can also be accessed by a path going underneath the government building.  

To honor the existing surroundings, the history of the site, and the public function of the skyscraper, the plot will be used as a park. The park allows for a nice sitting area to look over the water. The path underneath the government building continues onto the plot towards the building. And the same type of trees will be planted in the park, as the street is named after.