See Also: STEPHANIE NIX | BEST PROJECT

Office Village by MVRDV
MVRDV created an urban centre in the heart of “business-park suburbia” with its UPV Munich office park, says studio co-founder Jacob van Rijs in the third movie from our exclusive series.The Rotterdam-based firm won a competition in 1999 to design the office park on the outskirts of Munich. The first phase involved the construction of nine buildings – five by MVRDV and another four by local firm Lauber Architekten.

The main aim was to recreate the successful aspects of a city-centre complex, even though the project is located out of town. This led to to each building being given similar but unique characteristics, together forming a heterogeneous ensemble.

Museum Schiedam
In 2006, the museum went through a renovation which relocated the main entrance in the basement, the stair leading to the reception area proved difficult to find. The centrepiece of the museum, the neoclassical Giudici chapel lay neglected and lacked good acoustic quality.The MVRDV design unites all the demanded programme in a series of large book shelves, they contain the reception desk, wardrobe, the museum store, the cafe counter and various presentation spaces for art and products for sale. The chapel was built in 1787 by Jan Giudici as spiritual centre for a guesthouse for the poor elderly and sick with a sober, greyish interior. The bright red colour was chosen to act as a warm element, making a clear juxtaposition between the old and new and to pay respect to the former sacral function of the space.

Market Hall
The Market Hall is part of the new inner city heart of the Laurens Quarter, the original pre-war centre of Rotterdam. The building is a sustainable combination of food, leisure, living and parking, all fully integrated to enhance and make the most of the synergetic possibilities of the different functions. The hall is formed from an arch of privately developed apartments, strategically allowing private investment and iniative to provide a public space. The result is a covered square which acts as a central market hall during the day and, after closing hours remains lively due to restaurants on its first floor.

See Also: TOP INTERIOR DESIGNER | STEPHANIE KRATZ