The Rock

The 90m high building is an ambitious programme of a vibrant, high-density mixture of offices, housing, retail and public space. The urban concept is based on a vertical layering structure with the anatomical analogy of legs, torso and head. Both an innovative composition of shifted volumes and a transformation from a light to heavy materialization, creates an expressive landmark which appears different from every angle. The upper floors resemble a rock that floats on the glass base.

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The Erick van Egeraat office tower, also known as The Rock, is part of an expressive high-rise urban development south of Amsterdam, named Zuidas. Located in the proximity of the city centre and with direct access to the urban network of public transport and highways, the project incorporates the potential of this unique location. The ambitious programming of a vibrant, high-density mixture of offices, housing, retail and public space, designed by nine international architects, all contribute to an exceptional development of metropolitan scale. The urban concept for this location as developed by De Architekten Cie. is based on a vertical layering structure with the anatomical analogy of legs, torso and head. The Erick van Egeraat office tower challenges this masterplan further and proposes to create an explicit tactile and emotional experience out of the stacked block structure. Both an innovative composition of shifted volumes and a transformation from a light to heavy materialisation, it creates an expressive landmark which appears different from every angle.

Each of the three sections of the building reveals its own character and material expression and offers space suited to potentially different tenant requirements. The lower part is transparent to allow light deep into the building and stimulate interaction with the direct surroundings. The upper part is characterised by natural stone layers composed in a façade pattern which creates a variety of openings and panoramic views. Both parts are connected by a combination of transparent and printed glass elements and aluminium panels, forming a subtle transition between the two.

In this design, uniformity and irregularity go hand in hand. The lower, middle and top sections - a classic trisection was prescribed in the urban plan - are all made up of 1.8 by 3.6m panels, The lines, colors, materials and details of the façade create a contrast with the interior.

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Last year, a new icon arose among the high-rise buildings by Toyo Ito, Rafael Viñoly, SOM, UNStudio and Architekten Cie. The Rock is a 90m high office block designed by Erick van Egeraat. The upper floors resemble a rock that floats on the glass base. In this design, uniformity and irregularity go hand in hand. The lower, middle and top sections - a classic trisection was prescribed in the urban plan - are all made up of 1.8 by 3.6m panels. An aluminium construction was attached to the concrete frame. Then, the panels were mounted on the aluminium construction with bolts. However, this uniformity in construction does not show in the façade. Aluminium profiles and irregularly spaced vertical fins emphasise the verticality of the building without forming a pattern. The horizontal seams are narrow black strips that are barely visible. The irregularity is also caused by the design of the panels. The sections contain glass, aluminium or stone panels. Silk-screen prints in various patterns- partially - cover some of the glass and aluminium panels. However, the print is not applied randomly: the corbels and the locations of the apertures are adjusted to the orientation so that sun screens are unnecessary. In addition to the basic panels, there are special panels, separate corner panels and panels for the corbels. The diagonal lines and the corbels emphasise both the sheer mass and the irregular nature of the rock. The rock-like sections consist of composite sandwich panels with a Serpentino Verde stone surface. The panels weigh 30kg/m². As the weight density of natural stone is 2,800kg/m³, massive natural stone panels would have made the façade three times heavier. The lines, colours, materials and details of the façade create a contrast with the interior. The 'invisible uniformity' allows for a flexible lay-out, one of the principles of the design. Dividing walls can be placed at 1.8m intervals. Another principle was sustainability which was achieved by the use of durable materials.

Poly Products has produced 3200 sq m of unique lightweight rock panels for the facade cladding. These lightweight panels made sure the construction of the building could remain light as the panels are strong enough to withstand the forces and are easily fixed.

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For this project Poly Products has produced 3200m² of unique lightweight rockpanels for the cladding of ‘the Rock’, in Amsterdam. On the massive rock façade there are almost no identical panels! These lightweight panels (30kg/m²) made sure the construction of the building could remain light too, as the panels are strong enough to withstand the forces and are easily fixed. The real rocks in the top layer of the panels make sure the ‘heavy’ looks of the top of the building that the architect intended are preserved.