Arts & Community Centre

This proposal for an Arts & Community Centre is situated in a post-war neighbourhood in the south of Rotterdam. The design brief asked to rejuvenate the neighbourhood by adding a theatre on a vacant lot previously housing a community centre. Instead of one large theatre, this proposal encompasses three smaller buildings with complementary functions. A workshop, a community centre, and a sports hall form an urban ensemble of buildings that activate the space between them. Together, they function as a theatre space as well. The architecture of the ensemble is inspired by the buildings typical to the neighbourhood, with designs by amongst others Rietveld. It combines earth-toned bricks with wood. Large openings are inserted into clear volumes for transparency. The architecture is both robust and refined.