An intriguing architectural connection between past and future. That is what the new Timmerhuis building is all about.
3D Tetris shaped building
OMA, the architectural firm of Rem Koolhaas, is responsible for this rectangular design. The starting point was transparency. A cloud of steel and glass, as architect Rem Koolhaas likes to call it.
The Guardian described the Timmerhuis as ‘a pile of white glass cubes’. Our immediate association was a 3D Tetris kind of building. Stacked pixel-shaped blocks, ready to be completed.
Welcome to the Timmerhuis
This controversial building (you love it, or you hate it) brings back liveliness to the place where the city reconstruction was driven, after the second World War. Housing, business, culture and relaxation come together in the new Timmerhuis, that is located in the heart of the city. Prominently situated in the trendy shopping street Meent, right behind the City Hall.
Epicenter of hope
The history of the current building dates back to 1950. The old 15th century Stadstimmerhuis was destroyed in the bombing during World War II. Therefore a new one was built soon after, to serve as a homebase for large-scale reconstruction. Urban plans for a new Rotterdam city center were launched here. The Stadstimmerhuis became an epicenter of hope.
After sunset magic
We really apreciate combined architecture, if it’s done properly. And it sure is! The façade and the shape of the new building are in striking contrast to the old one.
This is not a building you see already from afar. The prominence is not in the highrise, it is in the openness and lightness of the construction. The steel frame from which the pixels are constructed is only carried by the cores in the middle of the building. Something you better observe up close.
For us, the magic of the building shows optimal after sunset. When the lights in the homes and offices are on.
No icon without A nickname
In the Rotterdam tradition, every city icon gets a nickname. The ‘glass container’ is definitely an option for this new Timmerhuis. It is not a real honorable name. But then again, it shows how architecture is quickly embraced by the Rotterdam people. So hey, who cares!
TImmerhuis tourist information tools
- Timmerhuis on Google Maps
- Museum Rotterdam visitor information
