This designs concentrate on the renovation and re-activation of bank buildings from the post-war era. By giving it new functions and changing its main architecture only with smart and incremental interventions, the originally design remains - but adapts to today’s needs for public functions.

-

Blaak - Why is a Re-Design needed?

Idea of the design is appreciating the steady traditionalistic architecture, but skimming its overwhelming presence. First renovation already opened up the ceiling with a glass roof for natural lightening of the building. This idea is going to be taken further by opening the first floor of the backside and replacing it with a glass facade. Same is done with the front of the building, which gets a glassy entrance on the front. This results in an elegant see-through basement, that allows visual connections to the back and brightens up the object.

Further the upper floors gets topped-up and-and a half stories. Modest, lightweight and easily designed.

The first stories can be used for public functions, so as an exhibition hall and forum for students from the nearby Willem de Koning Academie. Upper floors maintain both flexible workspaces and space for smaller offices, to meet current demand offices spaces in Rotterdam. The public space in front of the building invites for rest and leisure, by widening the sidewalk and adding benches and greening.