Maassilo Rotterdam

a study place for experimentation

Master thesis (2018)

Authors

D. van Weeghel Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

W.L.E.C. Meijers (mentor)
B. Gremmen (mentor)
Nicholas Clarke (mentor)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment, Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2018 David van Weeghel
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Published Date

01-02-2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

The Heritage and Architecture graduation studio 2016-2017 explores the possibilities of industrial heritage in the harbour of Rotterdam. This involves dealing with large scale buildings that have been abandoned due to the movement of the industrial activity from the harbour of Rotterdam to the Tweede Maasvlakte. This thesis entails a redesign for the Maassilo, a massive concrete building that was formerly used for the storage and transport of grain. Since this building is built for such a specific function, interventions to its sturdy structure are difficult. Around 70 percent of the building volume consists of concrete silos. These spaces are hardly usable, but they have a strong spatial potential if cutouts were made.
As a new program for the redesign of the Maassilo, a similar function as the current occupancy is chosen: a night club. The night club, as a very volatile function with a life span of mostly five to ten years stands in sharp contrast to the Maassilo, a nearly indestructable structure that has existed for more than a hundred years. However, when still in use as a grain silo, the Maassilo has always been part of a very dynamic environment. The questions arises if the Maassilo could provide a structural place for a new dynamic.

This thesis explores questions about informality, temporary/permanent design, spatial expression, controlled demolition and acoustics.