MAD presents design for Dance House Rotterdam

MAD Architects has presented the design for the Dance House in Rotterdam. The Provimi warehouse on Katendrecht will be transformed into a home for professional and amateur dance companies, with dance studios, an exhibition space, a dance salon and an open-air amphitheater on the top floor.

The Provimi warehouse stands next to the Fenix II warehouse, which is currently being transformed into a museum of migration. The high silo of the feed mill, which stands behind the warehouse, will be demolished; the warehouse itself will be returned to its original state. The existing roof volume, added later, will also disappear.

The transformation will leave the existing structure of the building intact as much as possible, with large spaces for the dancers. Additions will be made mainly in the form of furniture and objects, such as the grandstand of the amphitheater that will rise on the top floor. Above this section, the roof will be removed so that audiences and dancers are in the open air.

Neon letters

At the site of the amphitheater, the name of the Dance House will be placed on the facade in neon letters. The roof will be framed as a terrace with lots of greenery. The project's client, the Droom en Daad foundation, says there is an urgent need in Rotterdam for suitable studios for both professional and amateur companies.

"Dance is one of the art forms for which you don't need much; a good floor and music suffice. However, many places do not meet the minimum requirements for good and accessible housing. The Dance House will soon welcome all dance companies, small or large, professional or amateur, to use its facilities. Established names and young creators can work (together) here and the public can attend rehearsals and performances in an accessible way," according to the foundation.

The Dance House also ties in with the new function of museum of migration of the adjacent Fenix II, the foundation says. "Where Fenix becomes the museum about migration and the movement of people as a universal and timeless phenomenon, the adjacent Dance House aims to inspire people to move themselves. Dancing connects, everyone, worldwide, for centuries."

Viewing platform

MAD is also contributing to the transformation of Fenix, in the form of a viewing platform arising from upward spiraling staircases. Bureau Polderman is handling the restoration of the Fenix II hangar as a whole. EGM architecten is involved as co-architect for the architectural development of the plan.

Fenix is expected to be completed next year; when construction of the Dance House will start is not yet known. The realization of this project will take at least six years, according to Wim Pijbes, director of the Droom en Daad foundation. The construction would also involve at least 50 million euros, he told the Volkskrant. Last year, animal feed company Provimi received five million euros from the municipality of Rotterdam to move to another site, according to the newspaper.