Zuidplein is part of the Rotterdam Zuid, Rotterdam South, with its own community center. Nowadays, this post-war development does not meet the requirements of either trade and cultural institutions or an urban environment, so it was decided to replace it with a new one within the framework of the large public-private partnership “Heart of the South” (Hart van Zuid). Key points of the project were the 1960s Zuidplein Shopping Center (planned to be expanded once again) and Ahoy Citywide Exhibition, Congress, Concert and Sports Center (founded in 1950, completely rebuilt in 1970, and now renovated). The rest of the objects are gradually replaced with new ones, but in order not to lose their function during construction, they are not built in the same place, but instead of each other.
Thus, the first new object, a swimming pool, appeared instead of the administrative center, and the Zuidplein theater was built on the site of the old pool, which also houses a library and a cafe-restaurant. The former theater building (1953) stands next to the new one, and when it is fully operational, it will be dismantled: a bus station will be built in its place. When it is ready, on the site of the old bus station, under the metro overpass, a 750-meter boulevard will be broken, connecting all the main objects of Zuidplein. New residential buildings, a hotel, etc. are also planned.
Public spaces will be completely transformed, and the previous principles - an abundance of concrete, busy highways and overhead crossings - will be replaced by pedestrian zones, a variety of materials and landscaping. Materials from the old structures will be used in the construction of new ones: for example, the concrete walls of the old theater will go crushed to the foundations of the bus station.
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zooming 1/6 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 2/6 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 3/6 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 4/6 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 5/6 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 6/6 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Zuidplein theater received two types of facades: faced with pink bricks, they hide behind them two halls, a large (600 spectators) and a small one. They are facing the metro lines, not houses, so as not to disturb residents in the evenings, if there are noisy performances and concerts there. From the side of the new square, the facade is glazed and covered with openwork panels of anodized aluminum, which create a patterned play of light and shadow in the interior during the day, and in the evening turn the building glowing from the inside into a magic lantern. In this part there is a foyer with a library and a café area. There is also a small stage for children's performances, DJ performances, etc.
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zooming 1/3 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 2/3 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 3/3 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The interior was developed by De Zwarte Hond architects together with the studio BURO M2R, which won the tender for this part of the work. Particular attention was paid to acoustics: for example, in the foyer, even a performance on a small stage will not disturb visitors to the library. In the large hall, the acoustic wall covering (by Studio RAP) made of red aluminum panels has a complex configuration, which made it possible to do without a layer of noise insulation, to provide both silence outside and excellent audibility inside the hall.
Usually, in order to turn part of the hall in front of the stage into a standing parterre, the seats there are made mobile, which negatively affects their convenience. In the case of the Zuidplein theater, they are stationary and comfortable: if necessary, a stage plays the role of a dance floor, which is larger in size than the area of the hall.
A special part of the implementation of this project is close interaction with residents, which took place in difficult conditions. According to the tender, the theater had an unusually large number of designers and contractors, so their well-coordinated work and successful cooperation with the townspeople was a great achievement, the architects say. A separate mention should be made of the list of more than six thousand indicators, according to which the municipal authorities had requirements for the project - all of them were fully satisfied.
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zooming 1/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 2/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 3/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 4/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 5/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 6/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 7/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 8/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
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zooming 9/9 Theater Zuidplein Photo © Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
