Team V invited to make a sketch design for Central Library Rotterdam

Date
5 November 2021

The Municipality of Rotterdam has selected five design teams to make a sketch design for the Central Library of Rotterdam. Amongst them is Team VALADE, a collaboration between Team V Architecture, ALA Architects, ZUS, Deerns, Peutz, Van Rossum and IGG Bouweconomie.

Central Library Rotterdam
The Central Library was opened in 1983, designed by Van den Broek en Bakema. After almost 40 years of intensive use, the library is in urgent need of renovation and is therefore undergoing a large-scale renovation. The 25,000 square meter building is technically dated and no longer appropriate for a modern library. The building will be reused and made more sustainable, whereby the entrances, facades, installations, furnishings and outdoor space will be renewed. The function of the library changes from collection to connection: an attractive meeting place for all inhabitants of Rotterdam.

Design Competition
A committee of internal and external experts has selected five design teams from 22 (national and international) applications, each of whom will start making a sketch design from 4 November 2021. The draft designs are expected to be on display in the Central Library from February 2022. Reactions from the people of Rotterdam are passed on to the assessment committee, which ultimately selects the winning sketch design. The other four participants are:
• Combination KCAP / Schmidt Hammer Lassen / Drees & Sommer
• Kraaijvanger Architects
• NL Architects
• Powerhouse Company

City ​​Talks
The library and the Municipality of Rotterdam consider it important that Rotterdam residents can participate in the discussion about the new Central Library at various times. For example, city talks with inhabitants of Rotterdam will soon start at several locations in the city – and online. Their suggestions are passed on to the design teams.

Realization
If everything goes according to plan, construction will start in 2025. During the renovation, the library will move to a temporary accommodation for a period of approximately three years. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.

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