Santos, Rotterdam
From vacant to active monument, a creative office for Katendrecht
H.H. Slager (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
Santos is a warehouse from the beginning of the 20th century, that has been vacant for most of its existence. Located on Katendrecht, it is placed right in the middle of a future high-density plan for 'de Pols', which focuses on attracting urban creators. By turning Santos into a creative office, the thesis builds upon these plans from the municipality, and attempts to once again turn Santos into a building that houses activity, instead of vacancy. The main design challenge concerns maintaining the industrial spirit of place, and the important clue that Santos provides towards Katendrecht's harbour history, all while creating the pleasant working conditions that an office requires (daylight being the most prominent one).