Coolsingel
Coolsingel is one of the major streets in Rotterdam. It runs from the large roundabout around the Hofplein fountain all the way to the Maritime Museum. This is probably one of the busiest streets that I've seen in Rotterdam and it's under construction currently. It probably only takes about 10 minutes to walk down this street, but of course, it took me about 45 minutes with my camera in tow.
I started at Beurs, the metro station near the Maritime Museum and walked up the east side of the street. The first place I stopped at was the little overhang above Beursplein. This little street is sort of like an outlet mall, and if you follow the street east then you will end up at the Markthal.
Across the street from the overhang is De Bijenkorf. In 1930, the Bijenkorf opened. It was a department store designed by architect Willem Dudok. However, during the 1940 bombing, much of the building suffered from a direct hit. The new management decided to demolish the old structure and build a new building. For this new building, they brought in Marcel Breuer who worked with their permanent architect Abraham Elzas. The new Bijenkorf opened in 1957. Some of the most notable parts of the design are the facades of the building which have been decorated with hexagonal designs that refer back to the name of the department store. Due to the basic plan, an additional feature was added to the street corner to avoid changing Breuer's design, this is unofficially called "The Thing". The Thing is a large metal sculpture by the Russian artist Naum Gabo. It is also currently the largest constructivist work in the world.
Across the street from the Bijenkorf is the Beurs World Trade Center. Unfortunately, the building around it is currently under construction, so I don't have any stellar pictures. The tower itself was designed by Rob van Erk and completed in 1987. It was constructed in the middle of a previous office building by J.F. Staal and Margaret Staal-Kropholler in 1940. The two structures together make up the Trade Center, and the interior of the 1940 building was recently renovated by Mecannoo.
Further down the east side of the street, you will come across a glass-encased McDonald's. This building was designed by Mei Architects and Planners and construction was completed within two months in 2015. The entire perimeter of the building is glass, so you can see straight into the kitchen as well as the seating area. The glass also allows a beautiful showcase of the nice spiral staircase to the first floor (note that in Europe the ground floor is often floor 0). Although, the menu at this fancy looking McDonald's is the same as the three other, less fancy McDonald's that you can find on this street.
Behind the McDonald's are the remains of the main Post Office. Originally built in 1916, the old post office was one of the few to survive the Rotterdam Blitz in 1940 and has now become a national monument. However, unlike the neighboring building, the city hall, it has not been refurbished yet. ODA, an American architectural firm, has been hired by the OMNAM Investment Group to redevelop the post office. The 1916 Great Hall will be restored and reopened as well as a new 150-meter tower will be added towards the rear of the building. This new tower will be a residential tower with homes, shops, a gym, and a 5-star Krimpton hotel. The total project will take the old Postkantoor and transform it under a new name into the Post Rotterdam or Ven Rotterdam.
Next to the Postkantoor is the Stadhuis. Built around the same time as its neighbor the town hall was opened in 1920 for use. It was designed by Henri Evers in the Beaux-Arts style of a palace on a boulevard. The design was mainly based in the neo-Renaissance style, but influences can be seen from the neo-Roman and neo-Byzantine styles as well making it quite an interesting piece of architecture. It survived the May 1940 bombing without much damage and since has been through several renovations and refurbishments over the years. However the municipality of Rotterdam wants to maintain the National Monument without much change, it also requires modernization as a workplace. As such, IAA Architects and Het Oversticht with Merkx + Girod architects are making some interior changes.
On a side street on the north side of the Stadhuis, you are led to a shining turquoise building. This building is the police station designed by Ad van der Steur in 1993. The building follows the V shape created by the two intersecting streets, one along the side of the city hall and the other leading to another city monument.
The Nieuwe Delftse Poort is a steel reconstruction of the original city gate. The Delftse Poort was originally built on Hofplein from 1768 to 1773 by architect Pieter de Swart. Ever since 1856, the Delftse Poort was the last of ten city gates that still remained. However, as Rotterdam grew, it's the location was an obstacle to road traffic. The city council decided to relocate the structure. This would require demolishing the previous gate and rebuilding it. Demolition started on February 18, 1939, and rebuilding began on August 26, 1939. However, the following May 14th the gate was only half-finished and numerous pieces went missing due to the bombing. A year later, it was decided that the reconstruction would no longer continue and whatever was built would be demolished. About fifty years, Cor Kraat designed a steel reconstruction of the Delftse Poort at its original site. Around the new gate are some fragments of the original gate.
Going back to Coolsingel, the street ends at the famous traffic circle surrounding the Hofpleinfontein. The fountain was donated to the city of Rotterdam in 1939 by the Van Ommeren company. The fountain is often called the Flipspuit in reference to Mr. Philippus "Flip" van Ommeren. The fountain was designed by architect JRA Koops and finally delivered in 1955. The Hofplein traffic circle is the intersection of four fairly big streets in Rotterdam. The first is of course Coolsingel. The second is Weena, which connects the circle to Rotterdam Centraal. The last two are Schiekade and Pompenburg which take you further away from the city center. It is between these two streets at a very prevalent bridge is located.
The Luchtsingle Bridge opened in 2015. This bridge is the world's first public infrastructure to be funded mainly through crowdfunding. The bridge itself was only part of a plan by Rotterdam architecture ZUS for permanent temporality. The bridge connects three districts that have been separated by the railways, roads, and buildings to create a public space at several altitudes. This includes the Pompenburg Park and Delftsehof at ground level as well as rooftop parks and gardens.
After crossing Schiekade on the Luchtsingel Bridge, if you continue along the path you find yourself in the public space area of Delftsehof which has quite beautiful street art. This area is not a public park or any sort of landmark, but it is part of the plan by ZUS to create a three-dimensional city area. The area runs along the backside of buildings that line the north side of Weena.
Right as the path of the Luchtsingel Bridge ends you find yourself on Delftseplein. This street is parallel to the Weena and takes you to Rotterdam Centraal.
Along this road is a building is the new Central Post office. The building itself isn't super well known or on any big architecture lists, but the facade of the building is quite unique.
Coming back to that Gate to the City of Delft, we have a skyscraper this time, designed by Abe Bonnema. Taking the name of the old gate, the new building was completed in 1991 as the tallest building in the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). This building is the headquarters for Nationale Nederlanden and is often referred to as the Nationale Nederlanded building.
Right at the end of Delftseplein, you will find yourself on the East side of Rotterdam Centraal Station. Rotterdam Centraal is a major transport hub in the Netherlands. All trains connecting to the countries to the south (Belgium, France, etc) all connect through Rotterdam. The station also has direct lines to all the major cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Schiphol, Den Haag, Utrecht, etc). The station is also on all of those major architecture lists. The station was only completed in 2014, with Benthem Crouwel Architects, MVSA Architects, and West 8 doing the designing. The building has two vastly different facades to represent the two districts that it connects. On the Northside is the neighborhood of Provenierswijk, and the facade, while still modern, reflects the character of the area better. While, on the city center side, there are large protrusions of silver-colored triangular overhangs that create the famous facade.
I have a couple more pictures for you guys, but I think I'll hold off for a little bit longer. I really hope you enjoyed my first post in my architecture subseries. Rotterdam is a beautiful city, and I am really looking forward to exploring it some more in my last few weeks here.
Beurs World Trade Center: https://www.architecturerevived.com/beurs-world-trade-center-rotterdam-netherlands/
McDonald's: https://www.archdaily.com/640309/mcdonald-s-pavilion-on-coolsingel-mei-architects-and-planners
Postkantoor: http://www.oda-architecture.com/projects/post-rotterdam
Stadhuis: https://couvreur.home.xs4all.nl/ned/rdam/architectuur/100jaar/1920.htm
Politiebureau: http://www.architectureguide.nl/project/list_projects_of_architect/arc_id/42/prj_id/449
Hofpleinfontein: https://www.vanderendegroep.nl/nl/nieuws/hofpleinfontein-onder-handen-genomen
Luchtisingel Bridge: https://www.archdaily.com/770488/the-luchtsingel-zus
Nieuwe Delftse Poort: https://nieuws.top010.nl/delftsche-poort.htm
Delftsehof: https://www.google.com/search?q=delftsehof&safe=strict&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS821US822&sxsrf=ACYBGNQC8owmSvrddk6YKRqOE_y1IIQCqA:1581428532855&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjt3MCv0MnnAhVP-6QKHdRSB9oQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&cshid=1581428660298400&biw=767&bih=663
Central Post: https://www.rotterdamarchitectuurprijs.nl/index.php?cat=2010&sub_cat=central-post&lang=en
Delftse Poort: http://aronsohn.nl/en/portfolio/delftse-poort-rotterdam/
Rotterdam Centraal: https://www.archdaily.com/588218/rotterdam-central-station-benthem-crouwel-architects-mvsa-meyer-en-van-schooten-architecten-and-west-8
De Bijenkorf (Beehive)
Across the street from the overhang is De Bijenkorf. In 1930, the Bijenkorf opened. It was a department store designed by architect Willem Dudok. However, during the 1940 bombing, much of the building suffered from a direct hit. The new management decided to demolish the old structure and build a new building. For this new building, they brought in Marcel Breuer who worked with their permanent architect Abraham Elzas. The new Bijenkorf opened in 1957. Some of the most notable parts of the design are the facades of the building which have been decorated with hexagonal designs that refer back to the name of the department store. Due to the basic plan, an additional feature was added to the street corner to avoid changing Breuer's design, this is unofficially called "The Thing". The Thing is a large metal sculpture by the Russian artist Naum Gabo. It is also currently the largest constructivist work in the world.
Beurs World Trade Center
Across the street from the Bijenkorf is the Beurs World Trade Center. Unfortunately, the building around it is currently under construction, so I don't have any stellar pictures. The tower itself was designed by Rob van Erk and completed in 1987. It was constructed in the middle of a previous office building by J.F. Staal and Margaret Staal-Kropholler in 1940. The two structures together make up the Trade Center, and the interior of the 1940 building was recently renovated by Mecannoo.
McDonald's Pavillion
Further down the east side of the street, you will come across a glass-encased McDonald's. This building was designed by Mei Architects and Planners and construction was completed within two months in 2015. The entire perimeter of the building is glass, so you can see straight into the kitchen as well as the seating area. The glass also allows a beautiful showcase of the nice spiral staircase to the first floor (note that in Europe the ground floor is often floor 0). Although, the menu at this fancy looking McDonald's is the same as the three other, less fancy McDonald's that you can find on this street.
Great Hall of the Postkantoor (Post Office)
Behind the McDonald's are the remains of the main Post Office. Originally built in 1916, the old post office was one of the few to survive the Rotterdam Blitz in 1940 and has now become a national monument. However, unlike the neighboring building, the city hall, it has not been refurbished yet. ODA, an American architectural firm, has been hired by the OMNAM Investment Group to redevelop the post office. The 1916 Great Hall will be restored and reopened as well as a new 150-meter tower will be added towards the rear of the building. This new tower will be a residential tower with homes, shops, a gym, and a 5-star Krimpton hotel. The total project will take the old Postkantoor and transform it under a new name into the Post Rotterdam or Ven Rotterdam.
Stadhuis (City Hall)
Next to the Postkantoor is the Stadhuis. Built around the same time as its neighbor the town hall was opened in 1920 for use. It was designed by Henri Evers in the Beaux-Arts style of a palace on a boulevard. The design was mainly based in the neo-Renaissance style, but influences can be seen from the neo-Roman and neo-Byzantine styles as well making it quite an interesting piece of architecture. It survived the May 1940 bombing without much damage and since has been through several renovations and refurbishments over the years. However the municipality of Rotterdam wants to maintain the National Monument without much change, it also requires modernization as a workplace. As such, IAA Architects and Het Oversticht with Merkx + Girod architects are making some interior changes.
Politiebureau (Police Station)
On a side street on the north side of the Stadhuis, you are led to a shining turquoise building. This building is the police station designed by Ad van der Steur in 1993. The building follows the V shape created by the two intersecting streets, one along the side of the city hall and the other leading to another city monument.
Nieuwe Delftse Poort (New Delft Gate)
The Nieuwe Delftse Poort is a steel reconstruction of the original city gate. The Delftse Poort was originally built on Hofplein from 1768 to 1773 by architect Pieter de Swart. Ever since 1856, the Delftse Poort was the last of ten city gates that still remained. However, as Rotterdam grew, it's the location was an obstacle to road traffic. The city council decided to relocate the structure. This would require demolishing the previous gate and rebuilding it. Demolition started on February 18, 1939, and rebuilding began on August 26, 1939. However, the following May 14th the gate was only half-finished and numerous pieces went missing due to the bombing. A year later, it was decided that the reconstruction would no longer continue and whatever was built would be demolished. About fifty years, Cor Kraat designed a steel reconstruction of the Delftse Poort at its original site. Around the new gate are some fragments of the original gate.
Hofpleinfontein (Hofplein Fountain)
Going back to Coolsingel, the street ends at the famous traffic circle surrounding the Hofpleinfontein. The fountain was donated to the city of Rotterdam in 1939 by the Van Ommeren company. The fountain is often called the Flipspuit in reference to Mr. Philippus "Flip" van Ommeren. The fountain was designed by architect JRA Koops and finally delivered in 1955. The Hofplein traffic circle is the intersection of four fairly big streets in Rotterdam. The first is of course Coolsingel. The second is Weena, which connects the circle to Rotterdam Centraal. The last two are Schiekade and Pompenburg which take you further away from the city center. It is between these two streets at a very prevalent bridge is located.
Luchtsingel Bridge
The Luchtsingle Bridge opened in 2015. This bridge is the world's first public infrastructure to be funded mainly through crowdfunding. The bridge itself was only part of a plan by Rotterdam architecture ZUS for permanent temporality. The bridge connects three districts that have been separated by the railways, roads, and buildings to create a public space at several altitudes. This includes the Pompenburg Park and Delftsehof at ground level as well as rooftop parks and gardens.
Delftsehof
After crossing Schiekade on the Luchtsingel Bridge, if you continue along the path you find yourself in the public space area of Delftsehof which has quite beautiful street art. This area is not a public park or any sort of landmark, but it is part of the plan by ZUS to create a three-dimensional city area. The area runs along the backside of buildings that line the north side of Weena.
Delftseplein
Right as the path of the Luchtsingel Bridge ends you find yourself on Delftseplein. This street is parallel to the Weena and takes you to Rotterdam Centraal.
Central Post
Along this road is a building is the new Central Post office. The building itself isn't super well known or on any big architecture lists, but the facade of the building is quite unique.
Delftse Poort
Coming back to that Gate to the City of Delft, we have a skyscraper this time, designed by Abe Bonnema. Taking the name of the old gate, the new building was completed in 1991 as the tallest building in the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). This building is the headquarters for Nationale Nederlanden and is often referred to as the Nationale Nederlanded building.
Rotterdam Centraal
Right at the end of Delftseplein, you will find yourself on the East side of Rotterdam Centraal Station. Rotterdam Centraal is a major transport hub in the Netherlands. All trains connecting to the countries to the south (Belgium, France, etc) all connect through Rotterdam. The station also has direct lines to all the major cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Schiphol, Den Haag, Utrecht, etc). The station is also on all of those major architecture lists. The station was only completed in 2014, with Benthem Crouwel Architects, MVSA Architects, and West 8 doing the designing. The building has two vastly different facades to represent the two districts that it connects. On the Northside is the neighborhood of Provenierswijk, and the facade, while still modern, reflects the character of the area better. While, on the city center side, there are large protrusions of silver-colored triangular overhangs that create the famous facade.
I have a couple more pictures for you guys, but I think I'll hold off for a little bit longer. I really hope you enjoyed my first post in my architecture subseries. Rotterdam is a beautiful city, and I am really looking forward to exploring it some more in my last few weeks here.
Links to the places I visited:
De Bijenkorf: https://couvreur.home.xs4all.nl/ned/rdam/architectuur/100jaar/1957.htmBeurs World Trade Center: https://www.architecturerevived.com/beurs-world-trade-center-rotterdam-netherlands/
McDonald's: https://www.archdaily.com/640309/mcdonald-s-pavilion-on-coolsingel-mei-architects-and-planners
Postkantoor: http://www.oda-architecture.com/projects/post-rotterdam
Stadhuis: https://couvreur.home.xs4all.nl/ned/rdam/architectuur/100jaar/1920.htm
Politiebureau: http://www.architectureguide.nl/project/list_projects_of_architect/arc_id/42/prj_id/449
Hofpleinfontein: https://www.vanderendegroep.nl/nl/nieuws/hofpleinfontein-onder-handen-genomen
Luchtisingel Bridge: https://www.archdaily.com/770488/the-luchtsingel-zus
Nieuwe Delftse Poort: https://nieuws.top010.nl/delftsche-poort.htm
Delftsehof: https://www.google.com/search?q=delftsehof&safe=strict&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS821US822&sxsrf=ACYBGNQC8owmSvrddk6YKRqOE_y1IIQCqA:1581428532855&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjt3MCv0MnnAhVP-6QKHdRSB9oQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&cshid=1581428660298400&biw=767&bih=663
Central Post: https://www.rotterdamarchitectuurprijs.nl/index.php?cat=2010&sub_cat=central-post&lang=en
Delftse Poort: http://aronsohn.nl/en/portfolio/delftse-poort-rotterdam/
Rotterdam Centraal: https://www.archdaily.com/588218/rotterdam-central-station-benthem-crouwel-architects-mvsa-meyer-en-van-schooten-architecten-and-west-8
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