9 TUTORS
Stacked urban farm
Photo of model
Section
Fragment of facade
Internal views
West facade
Gwendolyn Huisman’s project was developed within last years Public Building Master Studio: Public Realm Rotterdam. The studio explored the meaning of the public realm in the light of the current urban re-developments that take place in the city centre of Rotterdam. The designated area is positioned in-between the Lijnbaan and the Coolsingel, facing Aert van Nesstraat southward and Stadhuisplein northward. It consists of an existing urban block, which forms a part of the inner city after war re-structuring plan of Van den Broek & Bakema. The brief asked for preserving the building curtain of the block perimeter, while the inner core had to be demolished, with the unique exception of a Rationalist building, listed monument by the municipality and had to be restructured. A functional program was provided, but students were invited to develop different programs based on thorough research and own insights. Mixed programmes and new typological strategies had to be developed to meet the social, cultural, political and economic problems and needs of the Rotterdam city centre in the 21st century Network Society. Gwen Huisman’s proposal for ‘The urban food cycle, a public building as social connector between individuals and the origin of food’ meets the brief in a surprising and exiting way. In fact, Gwen stacks an urban farm vertically in a way, which has to be located somewhere in between museum (Guggenheim, New York) and allotment garden. By passing from top to bottom the visitor can experience the whole food cycle starting from seeds, growing of plants, harvesting fruits and vegetables to compost. Service layers and visitors floors are intelligently altered and disconnected by making use of the building’s bearing structure, which has to allow a completely free floor span. The material detailing and architectural expression of the building is sophisticated, almost neutral and in contrast with the colourful interior. It let’s one wonder: what could be the next destination of ‘stacking’ for this beautiful urban artefact? For the time being, the design literally contributes an innovative architectural model to contemporary and future ideas of ‘Verdure within compact cities’. Susanne Komossa, Associate Professor Public Building Nicola Marzot, Assistent Professor Public Building