New City Entrance, Rotterdam-Zuid

Hart van Zuid will be the new, vibrant city centre of Rotterdam Zuid. For this purpose, the area around the Zuidplein shopping centre and Rotterdam Ahoy is undergoing a total metamorphosis. With the Hart van Zuid area development, the municipality of Rotterdam aims to give a lasting physical and social impulse to Rotterdam Zuid. The emphasis here is on connecting, and improving and extending stays in the area.

The Kantorenstrook – 5 dated office villas on the Strevelsweg – is located on the east side of the Zuidplein shopping centre and falls outside the scope of Hart van Zuid. Characteristic of the area is the fragmented built-up that forms a frayed edge without strong residential qualities. The shopping centre is one of the largest and best running in the Netherlands, but lacks the inviting appearance that should go with it. The transformation of the office strip offers good opportunities to increase the liveliness and liveability of the area by means of compaction and a combination of functions. We also see an opportunity to add a residential-work-shop programme.

In the implementation of our design, we mainly looked at orientation and the connections with the immediate surroundings. We do this by intensifying pedestrian flows from the surrounding neighbourhoods and improving the image visible from the car or bus. Coming from the south, this area forms the entrance to the city. However, there is now a lack of the right image – attractive and metropolitan – that belongs to a modern city. By creating a new city entrance, the area acquires an identity that makes it visible that it is a pleasant place to live and stay.

To replace the expansion of the shopping centre in the 1990s, we are introducing a raised ground level between the Twentsestraat and Strevelsweg. This creates an area with new fronts. The addition of this deck creates a pleasant walking route between Ahoyplein and Ikazia Hospital, which links up with the existing route between the ‘Zuiderterras’ housing complex and the Zuidplein metro stop. Beneath the deck, there will be space for expedition and parking. The shopping centre will have clear entrances on both the Ahoyplein and the east side. By mainly adding a living and working programme, and a minimum number of shops, we will create 16/7 vibrancy to the area.

We hope that the ambition formulated in this vision will lead to a follow-up process. Here we can further elaborate on the phasability and feasibility of the design.