2_1_DiscoverGermany_March2014_Issue12:Scan Magazine 1
14/2/14
16:41
Page 72
Discover Germany | Special Theme | Creative Germany 2014
Ziggo Dome
building above the first two floors’ contemporary glass façade. evacuated within three minutes in case of emergency. Flexible walls can be adjusted to meet various needs and soundproof materials ensure that no noise escapes and disturb neighbouring parties. A warehouse it is, but certainly one befitting of holding goods of the 21st century. Inside the AM3 Datacenter, a massive office space and data centre construction in Amsterdam’s Science Park, 150 different networks are stored. The AM3 is one of Europe’s largest data centres. The immense heat volume produced by the servers inside is converted using the latest thermal technologies to maximise sustainability and eco-friendliness to an unprecedented amount and it qualifies as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building. Buzzing railway stations evolved with the emergence of indutrialisation and one would think not much has changed. In cooperation with Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten and West 8, Benthem Crouwel took the design of modern transport premises to new heights. The Rotterdam Central Station is one of Europe’s most significant railway hubs, featuring a high-speed rail system (HSL). Impressive glass roof constructions span more than 250 metres above the tracks and the interior, designed to be a social meeting point, has a positive and contemporary ambience.
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The last of the five Archetypes, a German project, is the Forum Mittelrhein in Koblenz. The building is part of an urban intervention consisting of three elements: the new Zentralplatz, a culture building which houses the library and the Mittelrhein Museum as well as the Tourist Info and the shopping mall. The ensemble offers a new quality to public spaces at this location. A high-tech façade made of approximately 2,900 identical, three-dimensional aluminum elements, painted in three different shades of green, deliver the image of natural vine leaf plants, which scale the AM3 Datacentre, Amsterdam
Awards seem secondary to Sporer. The Berlin Art Award, the Wibautprijs from the City of Amsterdam and the BNA Kubus for the contribution to the infrastructural architecture in the Netherlands are just a few to be named. Asked what he is most proud of, Sporer simply confesses: “If the client and the user of our projects are satisfied, then recommend us or commission us a new project.” www.benthemcrouwel.de