WARMTEHUB IN ROTTERDAM

The Warmtehub is a building in a system that transports rest-heat of the waste plant in Rozenburg to warm water for 50.000 houses in Rotterdam.

We wrapped the 2 main volumes of the Warmtehub with a predominantly closed facade and connected them with a roof to create a volume that relates to the scale of the neighboring harbor. This volume will be finished with a membrane of black polyurethane. As an integrated part of the facade we designed a huge LED display that shows the “situation” of the heat in the Warmtehub and the tank. The heat that will be produced by the waste-plant will be indicated with a +, the heat that will be used by different neighborhoods with a -. This tool will show a relatively abstract concept of heat re-usage in a very simple way, to be understood by everybody.

On the roof there is a public square that can be reached by a monumental stair from the Brielselaan. This public space characterizes the core material of the building: water. A network of nozzles that are incorporated in the roof will produce an artificial fog. The strange and wonderful sensation of walking in between clouds of small water drops makes the visitors associate this experience to the function of the building and the meaning of the water for the city.

2012-12 image 01