Rotterdam is full of amazing places and attractions, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Markthal is one of the most discussion-worthy places. The Markthal is basically an office and residential building that has a market hall underneath. This building was first opened to the public in 2014 by Queen Maxima.
This place houses around 228 apartments, a retail space, horeca, and a four-storey parking area that can hold 1200 cars. In simpler words, the words might seem small to describe this gigantic place, but we have some more exciting details to share about this one!
The Brief
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this place is a sustainable combination of parking, living, food, and leisure. All the important life functions can be completed through this place and are beautifully integrated to enhance the synergetic possibilities. In addition, its design has a new take on the regular market squares and buildings.
Markthal is located in Laurenskwartier and has been formed by the development of apartments arranged into a huge glass arch – this design was carefully selected to ensure there are no compromises on the privacy of residents. For this reason, the covered square makes the market hall in the daytime while an array of restaurants open on the lower floors after market hall’s closure time.
In simpler words, it has been designed as a hybrid building where people can live, park their cars, shop, drink, and enjoy.
Since there are around 100 shop units in the market area, you will find some diverse products around here, ranging from fish to gaming facilities, fresh cheese to cappuccino, and local cuisines to exotic items that you’ve always wanted to try. The first and ground floor has twenty cafes, restaurants, and retail units on the sides of the hall, and there is also a huge supermarket on the first underground floor. Also, if you like to eat healthily, The World of Taste is a perfect center for getting educated about healthy eating.
The Architecture
This place was designed by MVRDV, which is a well-known architectural firm, and they have chosen gray stone for the exterior and has a shape like a horseshoe. The building is designed with a top-notch glass façade on both sides, and of course, there are glass windows as well. The windows are hung around the steel cable structure. Honestly, the façade is the most mesmerizing part of this building, and Octatube was behind its design and installation.
The building has a floor area of around 95,000 sq./ft., and there are twelve hundred below-the-ground parking areas. However, the central market hall remains a unique part of this building. The market hall offers space for ninety-six food stalls and shops, which are used by the market vendors and businesses to make their mark in the local economy.
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The Art
While the exterior is adorned with a façade, the interior is designed with 11.000m2 artwork the ultimate art coined by Iris Roskam and Amo Coenen. The artwork is designed with a combination of huge fruits, fish, seeds, veggies, flowers, and insects. This artwork was selected out of nine that the administration was offered with. It has been made through digital and 3D techniques.
Additional Details
Many people don’t know these small facts about Markthal, but the four-storey parking area is the biggest parking center in Rotterdam, and it was one of the first buildings that could be seen through AR. That’s because a UAR-based app can be used to see the 3D models of this building to determine how it was going to look. On top of everything, did you know that this building has a nickname and it’s Koopboog?
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that Markthal is a perfect combination of functional design and attractive architecture that literally wows you. On top of everything, you don’t need to worry about parking the car as there is sufficient space. So, visit during the day if you want to shop, or you can visit at night for a fine dining experience.
