Port Pavilion, Rotterdam | The Netherlands
22 september 2023
Project: Port Pavilion, Rotterdam | The Netherlands
Architect: MoederscheimMoonen Architects, Rotterdam | The Netherlands
Fabricator: Allpro B.V., Waalwijk | The Netherlands
Installer: Cladding Partners B.V., Oosterhout | The Netherland
Façade System: Tray panels special design
Year of Construction: 2021
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS solid Black + Anthracite Grey, anodized look C34,
urban Jet Black
Photos: Bart van Hoek
BLACK TREASURE CHEST
Rotterdam is full of iconic architecture. And icons like the new Port Pavilion by MoederscheimMoonen Architects are being added all the time. Set in Rotterdam's inland port, between Erasmus Bridge and the Maritime Museum, the pavilion stretches out along the lengthy quayside but is only eight metres wide. The new slender steel and aluminium building has been set on the foundations of the three old harbour buildings which used to be here and also incorporates some other parts of the original steel construction. The building contains a visitor centre, exhibition workshops for the museum, as well as a café and a restaurant at the ends of the building. It offers great flexibility and scope, and fulfils demanding functional requirements. The pavilion’s architecture is also impressive, mainly thanks to the glass and dark ALUCOBOND® façade which envelops the exterior surfaces. The materials are functional and ingenious: glass and ALUCOBOND® are resistant to both weathering and corrosion. Their durability, even in this marine climate, means they are a very sustainable option. But the choice of material does not only come down to practical requirements. The ALUCOBOND® outer skin, featuring triangular tray panels in various gloss finishes and in diverse shades of black combined with recesses and openings without panels, references the harbour’s structure, function and history. The triangular format is a key component, but the dark, iridescent colour scheme, the interplay of old and new building elements and light shining through the metal structure to create distinctive reflections on the surfaces are all factors inherent to the harbour’s profile and character. Highly polished rails and water surfaces flash brightly in the reflected light, groups of old cranes etch their silhouette onto the skyline, rusty containers and the dark hued hulls of ships fit together like puzzle pieces to form the harbour’s own special geometry. However, the architecture is not merely emblematic of the harbour, it also combines the individual morphologies into a contemporary whole. The concept of linking individual elements in unconventional and discernible ways runs through to the interior: shelving units in different depths are like functional cornices, whereas ships’ propellers, measuring instruments and other maritime components mounted on barriers create more decorative versions. The building, like the harbour itself, is more than from the sum of its parts, which are similar but not identical, and their interaction with light and time. The harbour is a huge collection of unique objects waiting for visual and tactile encounters. The pavilion is the ideal treasure chest, dark, mysterious and extremely tantalising.