A truly amazing building hovers above the historical factory complex of Unilever Nederland. A team consisting of staff members of Dura Vermeer, JHK architecten and West 8 Urban Design, thought of an inventive plan to incorporate 14,000 square metres of office space into the small plot already occupied by the factory. By literary lifting the office building above the location 300 homes can be added to the plot. The whole plot is a great example of mixed use but also mixed styles.

‘De Brug’ has a prominent place on Rotterdam’s skyline. The volume consists of four 25 metre wide and 130 metre long floors. This colossus is minimally supported by two V-shaped legs and a steel box. At the opposite end of the building are the elevation points and sanitary facilities. You can find the main entrance on the quay. Atriums, patios and voids make sure that light can shine everywhere unhindered.

Photography: Thea van den Heuvel, Roos Aldershoff