The Suspended Veil (icoonia)

Abstract

The goal of the Suspended-Veil project is to attract highly sophisticated residences; catering industries and innovative businesses among the educative status within the Heijplaat area as a medium for city marketing. Its design tries to accomplish this effect by creating a visual impression of a beacon along the shoreline of the Nieuwe Maas and reconnecting the area with it surroundings. The design concept is inspired by a spiders web and in addition the way how a cocoon like lampion-flower (the Physalis Alkekengi) is build-up. This kind of material translates the visual appearances of weaving into spatial relations based on a tensional setup throughout the building. A veil which covers the total ground floor has an open-closed character and gives the ambience inside more the impression of a marketplace than a culture palace. A combination in relief and transparency for creating the pattern which contains on one hand enough privacy and gives on the other hand a reasonable amount of daylight. The futuristic appearance of the weaved building skin and its leveled anticlastic identity which covers the space inside the building, creates a whole new meaning to the dynamic visual concept in relation to private and public interaction. The aim is to use the museum of contemporary art to revitalize and re-energize the Heijplaat area and by doing so creating a gateway between the village and modern society in Rotterdam. The building will not only accommodate different kind of art collections, but will also be available for other functions within the region of creative industry. Studios where artists can expand their creativity (sculpturing & painting). Workshops will be held to educate and find the creativity within one another. Theater for displaying all sorts of media. And of course in addition: a cafeteria, administrative offices, lounge areas, shopping and parking facilities.