OVG developed an ambitious plan that would demand the utmost from us and from all the parties involved. Nearly every process was totally new, no method or technology had ever been used before. Every component was both exhausting and inspirational at the same time. And now it is a reality: the proof that sustainable does not necessarily mean more expensive. A splendid building, with no compromises; an icon not only for the new TNT but also for ‘the new world of work’ in general.

Last year the building received recognition for energy neutral construction from AgentschapNL and it serves as a model project for the sector. An international blueprint for sustainable construction in the year 2020, when all new Buildings in the European Union will have to be energy neutral.
 

Download the book TNT Centre: blueprint for a sustainable building.
 

In order to accommodate all the city of Rotterdam’s massive plans for the Wilhelminapier, Koolhaas’ OMA Architecten, in collaboration with OVG and MAB, designed an entire district with apartments, hotel, entertainment and leisure amenities and offices. We then lifted the whole plan up and stacked it on top of each other. Literally. A vertical city.

De Rotterdam, named after the ‘SS Rotterdam’ of the Holland America Line, is currently the largest construction project in The Netherlands. This not only demonstrates architectural daring: the whole project and its financing was effected in full in the darkest days of the worldwide economic crisis. De Rotterdam proves that when there is little room for maneuver, both physically and financially, the solutions can be so much more creative.

Click here to see the construction progress.

Click here for "De Rotterdam" movie.

OVG developed a business model that enabled the old warehouse not only to be saved, but also to make it something more than it had ever been. A unique mix of cultural and commercial organizations jointly provided a financially sound foundation on which this creative redevelopment project could be realized.

Most extraordinary, however, was not what happened inside the old Las Palmas, but what happened on top. A unique design by Benthem Crouwel Architecten enabled OVG to almost double the effective space of the property and furthermore create the most sought-after workplace in Rotterdam. In our view this project exactly encapsulates all that OVG stands for so it should come as no surprise that we decided to occupy this revolutionary property ourselves.