OMA updates the Kunsthal. Opening February 01
30/01/2014.
[VIDEO]Shoes. [Rotterdam] The Netherlands
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
One of the best projects by Rem Koolhaas, the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, designed by OMA in 1992, reopens this month after an extensive renovation.
Logo. Kunsthal in Rotterdam.
Kunsthal Rotterdam by OMA. Photography © OMA / Hans Werlemann.
Design for Museumpark, by OMA, 1992.
23 February to 2 June 2013. Shady Moments. Schilte & Portielje. Courtesy of Kunsthal Rotterdam.
Kunsthal Rotterdam by OMA.
Reopening Kunsthal Rotterdam by Rem Koolhaas, opened on 1992.
After more than 20 years of intense use, OMA, the city of Rotterdam and the Kunsthal have completed their comprehensive plan to upgrade the performance of the building in terms of energy, security, program and circulation.
On Saturday 1 February 2014, the Kunsthal Rotterdam welcomes everyone from 2pm in its renovated building.
The glass facades and roof are now fitted with high performance insulation materials. In combination with energy efficient lighting, a new state-of-the-art climate system and the subdivision of the public spaces, future energy consumption will reduce considerably. Security and building operations have been improved. A second entrance has been added, making it possible to access the auditorium and exhibition spaces independently. The reception, restaurant and museum shop are now integrated into the route of the building. These transformations will enable the Kunsthal to evolve with the growing need for economic independence of cultural institutions.
Despite these considerable changes, the original design concept has been preserved and often reinforced. Ellen van Loon: "The renovation demonstrates the possibility of updating the building to meet contemporary requirements, whilst retaining the original concept of an 'exhibition machine'."
The project was led by OMA partner Ellen van Loon, and OMA associates Michel van de Kar and Alex de Jong.
More information
OMA. Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond. OMA is led by eight partners – Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia. OMA-designed buildings currently under construction are the renovation of Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) in Berlin, The Factory in Manchester, Hangzhou Prism, the CMG Times Center in Shenzhen and the Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux.
OMA’s completed projects include Taipei Performing Arts Centre (2022), Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles (2020), Norra Tornen in Stockholm (2020), Axel Springer Campus in Berlin (2020), MEETT Toulouse Exhibition and Convention Centre (2020), Galleria in Gwanggyo (2020), WA Museum Boola Bardip (2020), nhow RAI Hotel in Amsterdam (2020), a new building for Brighton College (2020), and Potato Head Studios in Bali (2020). Earlier buildings include Fondazione Prada in Milan (2018), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2015), De Rotterdam (2013), CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012), Casa da Música in Porto (2005), and the Seattle Central Library (2004).
AMO often works in parallel with OMA's clients to fertilize architecture with intelligence from this array of disciplines. This is the case with Prada: AMO's research into identity, in-store technology, and new possibilities of content-production in fashion helped generate OMA's architectural designs for new Prada epicenter stores in New York and Los Angeles. In 2004, AMO was commissioned by the European Union to study its visual communication, and designed a colored "barcode" flag, combining the flags of all member states, which was used during the Austrian presidency of the EU. AMO has worked with Universal Studios, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, Heineken, Ikea, Condé Nast, Harvard University and the Hermitage. It has produced Countryside: The Future, a research exhibited at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; exhibitions at the Venice Architecture Biennale, including Public Works (2012), Cronocaos (2010), and The Gulf (2006); and for Fondazione Prada, including When Attitudes Become Form (2012) and Serial and Portable Classics (2015). AMO, with Harvard University, was responsible for the research and curation of the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale and its publication Elements. Other notable projects are Roadmap 2050, a plan for a Europe-wide renewable energy grid; Project Japan, a 720-page book on the Metabolism architecture movement (Taschen, 2010); and the educational program of Strelka Institute in Moscow.
