INHOLLAND University, Rotterdam

New building of INHOLLAND University, Rotterdam
Client Hogeschool INHOLLAND Rotterdam
Gross floor area 20.000 m2
Start design 1996
Realisation 2000
Construction time 25 months
Architects Erick van Egeraat, Monica Adams, Maartje Lammers
Project team Luc Reyn, Cock Peterse, Jeroen ter Haar, Kerstin Hahn, Paul Blonk, Colette Niemeijer, Nienke Booy, Aude de Broissia, Ezra Buenrostro-Hoogwater, Ard Buijsen, Joep van Etten, Pavel Fomenko, Matthias Frei, Bas de Haan, Folkert van Hagen, Sara Hampe, Julia Hausmann, Sabrina Kers, Perry Klootwijk, Ramon Knoester, Harry Kurzhals, Paul-Martin Lied, Mika Lundberg, Lisette Magis, Jos Overmars, Karolien de Pauw, Claudia Radinger, Stefanie Schleich, Ole Schmidt, Ronald Ubels, Rowan van Wely, Boris Zeisser Renderings Folkert van Hagen, Peter Heavens

The Inholland University, (former Ichthus University of professional education) is situated at the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The adjacent harbor area houses much nineteenth and early twentieth century industrial architecture. The building refers to this harbor area, in urban scale as well as in typology.The client’s objectives were to create a flexible twenty first century building, radiating transparency yet fitting into the nineteenth century brick building concept of the Municipality’s urban plan. The concept allows for the school to be partially rented out eventually, or even to be converted into an office building. Consisting of two extracted wings enclosing a central atrium space, the concept maximizes the usage of the plot. Specific and public spaces are placed on the first three floors with the classrooms on the upper six floors. The atrium space along the south façade develops over the full height of the building, creating the heart of the building. Materials are predominantly cobalt blue screen-processed glass and clear glass to allow the maximum of flexibility and remarkable views, and creating an expression of the open character which is the school’s trade mark.