The Arc

500 m² of commercial space and 45 subsidized owner-occupied houses each covering around 100 m² in the bonded warehouse area at the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam. The design was also a part of an urban planning assignment. The apartment block had to form an attractive urban unit with De Evenaar residential cum workplace building and the multifunctional, renovated De Vijf Werelddelen bonded warehouse, both of which were realized by cepezed as well. Furthermore, there was only a limited volume available for a large number of apartments. A complex, fan-toothed, semi-circular block was designed as the solution to both the shortage of space and the architectural assignment. The exterior side of the curve functions as the wall of the public Entrepotplein (plaza), while the other side borders on a more sheltered inner area with greenery and parking space for the neighbours. The fan form ensures that all the apartments have a view of the adjoining Binnenhaven (‘inner harbour’) from their living rooms and balconies. The galleries lie on the inner side and converge in a staircase made entirely of glass which is also equipped with a panorama lift, specially developed by cepezed at an affordable price for housing projects. Inspired by, and as an ode to, the wooden harbour quaysides and the frequently beautifully detailed ship decks that have now vanished, the façades of The Arc have been implemented in almost abstractly detailed sections of Western Red Cedar that fit seamlesslessly together. This also functions as soundproofing for the inner court.