16-12-2016

KAAN Architecten's new De Bank building in Rotterdam

KAAN Architecten,

Simone Bossi,

Rotterdam,

Offices,

Wood, Cement,

De Bank, the name of the building containing KAAN Architecten's new headquarters in Rotterdam, recalls the building's original function as the former headquarters of the Nederlandsche Bank. It is located in the heart of the city, on the banks of the Meuse River by the Erasmus Bridge, and another KAAN Architecten project, the Education Centre at Erasmus University Medical Centre.



KAAN Architecten's new De Bank building in Rotterdam

KAAN Architecten has new headquarters on the 1400 sqm main floor of a historic building in the centre of Rotterdam.

The original building, designed in 1950-1955 by architect Prof. Henri Timo Zwiers, has a big mosaic in the hall by Dutch artist Louis van Roode. The building was originally the headquarters of the Nederlandsche Bank, hence the project's nickname "De Bank".
The building's brick façade stands out from the other constructions on the river bank by the Erasmus Bridge and the Education Centre of the Erasmus University Medical Centre designed by KAAN Architecten.

The head office of an architectural practice inevitably embodies the studio's philosophy, and in fact KAAN Architecten's new headquarters reflect the functionalism with added value that characterises some of the studio's projects. Large, well-lit spaces allowed the architects to create more than 80 workstations, in a large open space illuminated by natural light on both sides, with a panoramic view over the banks of the Meuse River. Walnut is the key material in the interiors, chosen by the architects to mediate between the brutality of the renovated building's bare concrete, which divides the space and adds rhythm to it. Long corridors and monumental passageways connect the work areas with meeting rooms and lounge areas.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Design: KAAN Architecten (Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen, Dikkie Scipio)
Project team: Beatrice Bagnara, Dennis Bruijn, Marten Dashorst, Luuk Dietz, Giuseppe Mazzaglia
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Images courtesy of KAAN Architecten, photo ©Simone Bossi

www.kaanarchitecten.com


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