City Hall Rotterdam

Team: Jaap van Dijk, Maarten van Bremen, Folkert van Hagen, Adam Visser.

'Text GroupA'

At the moment the most recognisable feature of the public services office at Rotterdam City Hall is its' lack of recognisability. The public services office currently houses inside Rotterdam City Hall, and can only be entered from the back of the building. This location, a parking lot surrounded by large-scale buildings, facing a canal, is cut off from the main urban network with an entrance justly perceived as a 'side-street' entry. To increase the accessibility of the public services office it should clearly be connected to the urban network. GROUP A therefore proposes to build a new building for the public services office, that is raised above ground level in order to create a public square. This square should be connected to the surrounding infrastructure, e.g. squares, streets and public transport. The public desks are located in this large 'covered' square, making the waiting room a part of public space. This could lead to the development of additional services and commercial functions. Thus, waiting could become an active instead of a passive pursuit. Now, you can book a holiday or buy a new cell phone, 'while you wait'.