All in all

Once part of Rotterdam’s roaring centre near the harbour, the Geldersekade and surroundings with its intimate historic streets and traditional buildings, a small market square, a boulevard adjacing the harbour and Europe´s first skyscraper has been demoted to a no-mans-land. After the war and Rotterdams reconstruction only the Witte House and a small block of houses remained. This, and the fact that the old Luchtspoor was rebuild far beneath the surface of Rotterdam, made the context of this historic block change one hundred percent. A secluded square called Gelderseplein filled with random greenery, bikes and lost tourists.

The two elements that made its context change so incredibly much, lay at the foundation of my proposal. I intend to recreate the playful attitude of the bridge that was lost, a place where people could find shelter for the rain, shade or could play underneath. The building block that got destroyed used to give the place its characteristic ambiance thanks to its presence. By rediscovering the original location of the façade, creating an object out of it and adding playful and functional niches this will become an integral object for its atmosphere. To thank its neighbour de Witte Huis for its immunity to the ravage of time I decided to look at its façade and conceptualised this into the materialisation of the object. Also the way the niches are placed in the wall refer to the vertical functionality of the Witte Huis: the most public space on the ground level, offices in the middle and a viewpoint on top. With these references in mind this object will be a valuable addition to its context that will make the square whole again.

In essence this proposal is a completely inclusive gesture to the city where people can find a playful and functional element to the newly planted park. But it is also the basis of a new small ecosystem. The rainwater collected at the roof will be spread out in the park to water the plants and reduce pressure on the sewage system, it will help decrease urban heat island and there will be an equal division in niches for humans on the ground floor level of the wall as there will be niches for sparrows, swallows, owls, bats and bees at the top of the wall. Finishing the wall with a viewpoint at the top to experience the surroundings and contemplating about the history of Rotterdam.

All in all – considering everything that has happened.