Rotterdam Markthol - the luxury market in the world

• Rotterdam Markthol - the luxury market in the world

Imagine the situation: in Moscow to build a building of the covered market. It becomes famous even before construction was completed. CNN includes it in the list of "10 stunning buildings to be seen in this year", and the Russians agree that Moscow is the Sistine Chapel. Imagine that at the opening of the covered market in Moscow lady comes with the royal title. That the market wins awards at national and international building and architectural competitions throughout the year. That he even received an award from the National Society of archaeologists, because the workers have excavated and preserved at the site of the medieval village market. Imagine that Moscow's indoor market is admired all architects, starting with the US and ending with the Chinese.

And now attention: it all really happened. Not only with Moscow but with Rotterdam.

Rotterdam Market Hall, or simply Markthol, located in Binnenrotte, the historic district of Rotterdam. Previously, the area was not very busy, so the city authorities decided to create there conditions for the influx of people and the development of services. The municipality has set the task to build an indoor shopping space and has announced a competition for the best project. In addition to all the authorities wanted to increase the number of residents in the area for this purpose it was necessary to design houses and parking.

In October 2004, a competition won by the team of designers and Provast architectural bureau MVRDV. They decided by one shot to kill three birds with one stone: to combine in one building and an apartment building, and the market, and private parking. It was decided to build two residential buildings with commercial space between them, and the parking is underground. For greater showiness of the building gave the appearance of the arch.

Markthol became the new symbol of the city. Moreover, it was the first covered market in the Netherlands (according to the strict European standards for fresh and chilled food outdoors is now banned), so it is also the world's first case of the merger of the apartment building and the food market with restaurants, a supermarket and an underground car park. Markthol with its fresh food, shopping and apartment complex connects and centralizes the entire area. After completion of the Markthola in Rotterdam, planned to start upgrading the area Binnenrott and then reconstruct a nearby open-air market.

before writing Provast and MVRDV project examined the situation and found that in southern Europe such market area is always dark, closed and loosely connected with the surrounding urban space. But Markthol had become an impetus for the development of the region and to strengthen the eastern part of the city. This place had to make attractive for people.

The building had to be as open as possible in order to attract the audience, and at the same time sufficiently closed to save the market from the weather. Therefore, the architects made transparent facade. Facade - is another story. It is constructed on the principle of a tennis racket: that is, as the bars are wires, and between them are fixed glass. This exterior cables network - the largest of its kind in Europe. This year it was awarded for the architectural award.

This engineering miracle is seen outside the building luxurious decoration of the internal vault arches. Vivid colors and entice people inside. By the way, apparently Markthol trimmed with gray natural stone, as well as sidewalks around, so as not to distract attention from domestic arts. Design Markthola engaged artist Arno Coenen. On the vault it depicts all that is connected with a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, ears of corn, fish, flowers and insects.

The artist said he wanted to call the visitors children's sense of wonder. This work was selected from nine candidates, including by artists from other countries. To store the digitized picture servers needed huge capacity, the same that uses in his work studio Pixar. The image was divided into blocks, which were printed on 4000 panels of perforated steel. From these panels, both of the pieces of the puzzle, laid such beauty.

In 2014, this work of art has attracted media attention from around the world. Because of him Markthol Rotterdam called the Sistine Chapel.

The building has no rear. The products arrive in stores and restaurants through the underground floors, there they rise in the trading hall at the freight elevator. Residents and buyers do not interfere tovaroraspredeleniyu, which is held here in the early morning. In addition, the underground level there is a supermarket, to him the delivery of goods is carried out through the tunnel that leads to a hidden elevator in the area Binnenrott located nearby. In trucks in general there is no need to drive up to the building. In addition to the supermarket is a four-level underground car park (the largest in Rotterdam) and bicycle parking.

By the way, in the design of the building were invited to participate and ecologist: he proposed to create a special space in the house for bats and swifts. On the western facade on the 11th floor there are four rooms for mice, and on the north side at the level of the first floor to the wall are attached ten nests for birds. It is not only caring about the environment: even all tenants Markthola sign "Green" contract - undertake to conserve water and energy use in the construction of retail outlets only environmentally friendly materials.

In addition to the market in the building of 228 apartments: 102 are rented and 126 were offered for sale. Now all sold out. Each apartment has a wide terrace overlooking the city. On top of that half of all apartments have windows that look out onto the market. This triple-glazed windows with good insulation sounds and smells.

Residents could get to their apartments in six separate entrances leading to the elevator and stairs. Because of the curved building elevator playground floor by floor change its size and location. On the ground floor area is located at the inner arch arches on the top it is now coming to an external vault. Markthol connected to the municipal heating system, moreover under the building is a system of thermal battery, which heats and cools a few neighboring houses.

During construction Markthola seven meters below street level workers unearthed the home of the 10th century. From these excavations did exposition it is in the underground parking lot at the market. The village, which belonged to the houses, was there before the foundation of Rotterdam. It was located on a polder - reclaimed and cultivated plot of land on the banks of the river Rott (it flowed here before, but in the 19th century it was taken to the track side). Around the polder was the dam that protects the village from water tide. When this place was founded the city and named it so - the dam on the Rotten, ie Rotterdam.

Such is the market opened in Rotterdam a year ago. It was built 10 years, and the result exceeded all expectations, even the expectation of architects and designers. They told the press that he did not anticipate what would happen so beautiful. At the opening of the market was present Dutch Queen Maxima.