Hans Wilschut

The Santos coffee warehouse in the port of Rotterdam is a national monument to early 20th-century warehouse architecture. Planning for its transformation began in 2016, and in 2023 the Nederlands Fotomuseum acquired the Santos warehouse. The redesign of the historic building follows a clear distinction between the historic structure and the contemporary addition. The conceptual approach is based on preserving as much of the historic structure as possible. Where necessary, the listed building elements from 1901 were restored. The historic building fabric was extended by two levels with a striking roof landscape above the historic warehouse. The roof sculpture was designed as an independent volume, which hovers precisely above the historic building like a golden crown. The historic building and the new roof structure are spatially and functionally connected in the heart of the building. A new central airspace extends from the ground floor to the top floor, and the spatial opening allows the architectural construction to be read and provides orientation. The freely accessible mezzanine floor houses a café, a museum shop, a library, and the “Freihafen” (free port), where events take place. The upper floors house the national photography archive, exhibition rooms, and in particular the “Hall of Fame” of Dutch photography. The 6th floor houses a restaurant, bar, offices for the museum administration, and a surrounding outdoor terrace, while the 7th floor accommodates 16 short-term apartments. Only the flat roof remains of the old roof landscape with wind houses and illuminated advertising. The new roof volume is a structural addition with a contemporary character and brings back the new roof landscape. The dimensions of the new extension are precisely aligned with the outer edges of the old warehouse building. The spatial volume is created by a folded roof landscape with high points on the vertical center axes of the loading hatches. The principle of the display gables to the north and south is also transferred to the roof. The mirroring of the roof's high points creates a striking roof truss structure that develops its own powerful iconography. With the 6th floor set back, the new roof sculpture floats like a crown above the historic warehouse building. At the same time, the recess below the roof crown creates a wraparound roof terrace with an unobstructed view of the Rotterdam skyline. Old and new building fabric reinforce each other in their contrast of massive strength and transparent lightness. A roof sculpture with a semi-transparent, perforated, folded aluminum skin defines the fifth façade of the building. The technical installations are grouped together under the translucent façade skin, which is particularly important due to the high-rise buildings in the immediate vicinity. The vertical alignment of the perforations interprets the vertical gesture of the old building. The variations in the density of the perforations, which are formed by triangular elements of different sizes, create a spatial depth in the distant effect. With its cantilever and perforated shell, the new lightweight building offers excellent passive sun protection and a wind barrier. The five standard floors of the existing building are characterized by spacious raw floor areas with wooden beam ceilings. The new screeds are equipped with low-temperature underfloor heating connected to fossil-free district heating. The solid walls of the old building act as a climatic storage mass in summer. The historic building has been preserved and, with its striking roof sculpture, contributes to the overall sustainability of the project.

RENNER HAINKE WIRTH ZIRN ARCHITEKTEN & WDJARCHITECTEN

https://www.rhwzarchitekten.de/ https://www.wdjarchitecten.nl/