ZOHO rotterdam to be rejuvenated with an elevated moor park

a team of architects has won the tender to transform rotterdam‘s ZOHO district into a new neighborhood of socially inclusive urban living and working. the project — by ECHO urban design, orange architects, MORE architecture, studio nauta and moederscheimmoonen architects — focuses on social inclusivity and community interaction, as well as climate adaptation.

grand design gesture: an elevated moor park designed for social inclusion, but also as a climate adaptive element
all images courtesy of ECHO urban design

situated next to rotterdam’s CBD and agniese district, in the past decade ZOHO has been transformed from a brownfield site into a lively creative district. the brief called for this low-rise business area to be turned into a mixed neighborhood to meet the city’s urgent densification challenges. this winning design builds upon what is already there: a strong community of creative professionals working in studios and workshops. however, new layers are added to keep this creative population in the area while allowing residential space for a mixed population. the project strives to keep social and middle class inhabitants in the city.

connection with the adjacent hofbogen (‘highline’) – the rooftop park is at the same level

the plan is composed of three stacked habitats: lab, land(scape) and city. where a mix in housing (from social to privately owned, and from micro-apartments to townhouses where studio and living space is combined) is spread across the levels. the main concept behind this is not only to stack different layers, but also to intertwine them by adding collective spaces for social cohesion. with the rooftop park as the most visible and defining feature.

rejuvenation of ZOHO square

the elevated moor park makes this design climate adaptive, as the area is prone to flooding after heavy rainfall. it is a little ‘sponge city’ with an underground reservoir and irrigation system for extreme drought in summertime. a unique climate adaptive concept that does not have to be connected to the sewer system.

the plan is connected with the adjacent neighborhood

social inclusion and cohesion is created by a mix in typologies and social housing, work spaces, collective spaces and in the way these are configured. existing plot sizes are reused and all the components can be (re)built separately in time. with this set-up, the plan accommodates the current (creative) entrepreneurs in affordable workspaces during and after the development of the new ZOHO.

a dynamic plan that can be built in stages and is therefore flexible and future resilient

the design team has added a large scale shared mobility hub, with cars, bikes and scooters. additionally, collective spaces that contribute to social cohesion – including the rooftop park, a ‘living room’ and a sports facility – can be found within the three habitats and are accessible for all existing and new ZOHO residents, as well as the neighboring agniese district.

stacking and intertwining three layers: lab (creative work spaces), land (moor park) and city (residences)

project info:

project name: ZOHO rotterdam

location: ZOHO rotterdam, the netherlands

client: leyten and stebru

design team: ECHO urban design, orange architects, MORE architecture, studio nauta and moederscheimmoonen architects

year: 2019

status: tender won – working on masterplan

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom