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World Port Centre Rotterdam

Mecanoo

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World Port Centre Rotterdam - Ossip Architectuurfotografie
World Port Centre Rotterdam - Ossip Architectuurfotografie
World Port Centre Rotterdam - Ossip Architectuurfotografie
World Port Centre Rotterdam - Ossip Architectuurfotografie

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Total
JURY VOTES
Small Office
5.89
6.78
6.51
6.20
6.35
Anne-Rachel Schiffmann
Anne-Rachel Schiffmann Director of Interior Architecture at Snøhetta
6
7
7
6
6.5
Dennis Vlietinck
Dennis Vlietinck Head of Design at Wink
5.5
6
5
5
5.38
Giovanni Zaccariello
Giovanni Zaccariello SVP Global Visual Experience  at Coach
7
7
7
7
7
Gilbert Khalil
Gilbert Khalil Director of Design and Technical Services at Sunset Hospitality Group
6
7
6
5
6
Nicolas Delefosse
Nicolas Delefosse Founder and Creative Director at NDDO
5
6
6
5
5.5
Sontaya Bluangtook
Sontaya Bluangtook Associate Design Director at UNStudio
6
6
6
6
6
Farid Ziani
Farid Ziani Partner Architect Designer at KTX archiLAB
5
6.5
5.5
5.5
5.63
Asif Din
Asif Din Sustainability Director at Perkins&Will
6
7
6
4
5.75
Jocelyne Sacre
Jocelyne Sacre Design Strategist at Consultant
5.5
6
6
5
5.63
Deepak Jawahar
Deepak Jawahar Cofounder at The Architecture Story
6
7.5
7.5
6
6.75
Cathy Figueiredo
Cathy Figueiredo Cofounder at Wanna
5
6
6
5
5.5
Lisa Adams
Lisa Adams Director of CitizenHKS & Sustainable Design Leader at HKS
5
6
6.5
5
5.63
Baoyu Tian
Baoyu Tian General Manager at Foshan Shengtianjia Lighting Equipment
6
6.5
6.5
5.5
6.13
Klein Dai
Klein Dai CEO at Algebraist Brand Management
6
5
6
5
5.5
Liqun Lin
Liqun Lin Executive Director at Xiamen Wenqu Decoration Design
7
6.5
6.5
6
6.5
Bangsheng Yang
Bangsheng Yang Founder at Yang & Associates Group
5
6
6
5
5.5
Dirk Osinga
Dirk Osinga Founder at STUDIOSINGA
4
6
4
4
4.5
Designer
Client
Unifore and Marathon Asset Management
Floor area
1550 ㎡
Completion
2021
Budget
2000000
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Finishes
Furniture
Finishes
Finishes
Sanitary

The World Port Centre in Rotterdam (WPC) overlooks the city and surrounding harbour from its prominent location at the far western point of the Wilhelmina pier, next to Mecanoo’s iconic Montevideo Tower. Designed by Norman Foster and completed in 2000, the WPC facilities were no longer fit for purpose. Mecanoo was commissioned to upgrade the ground floor and part of the first floor of the 32-storey office building. Good accessibility, improved connections to the outside, social interaction and an inviting street level are principles that guided Mecanoo’s renovation. Mecanoo’s user perspective method creates a concept to use the lobby as the start of the working environment by facilitating various activities. All activities enable a grand entrance and an interesting and comfortable place to stay. The concept enfolds, based on the semi-circle form of Foster’s building, with various rooms where diverse activities, both formal and informal, could be facilitated. Rooms to meet, rooms to drink, rooms to relax, rooms to wait, rooms to work, rooms to have an event. The Rooms both facilitate the formal functions, such as security, the welcome desk and lockers, as well as more informal amenities like a meeting space, lounge areas and the main bar for bigger events. The design uses the space along the facade for seating and locates all facilities along the building core with improved sightlines and inside-outside connections. Design elements with a strong identity, such as the Rotterdam Port Authority backlit logo and the airy curtain above the bar are visible from the exterior. These iconic elements add value and create a sense of place for the employees and visitors. New programmes including check-in booths, a coffee bar, and areas for informal meetings activate the double-height entrance hall. A new spiral staircase connects the lobby and first floor and offers scenic views of the water. Using the semi-circle shape at different scales and in various ways, Mecanoo created a cohesive interior design. Durable materials were chosen to match the character of the area. Metal, wood, leather, concrete and upholstery, with sound-absorbing surfaces create a tactile and textured backdrop for the various rooms. The location of the different materials are determined by how the different rooms will be used, both from an acoustic and durability perspective. The lifts lobby was upgraded with cladding that emphasizes the cut in the building core. Water ripple hammered metal panels hint to the harbour, and the new dark ceiling matches the entrance area. Prioritising the health and wellbeing of all its users, the project pursues WELL certification. By using natural sound-absorbing materials we created a pleasant working environment. We reused many of the existing internal elements and finishes, such as the ceiling, flooring, the ventilation for fresh air and the convectors for heating the space. We used certified wood and low maintenance materials that can be re-used.