Transformation of three monumental buildings into apartments

The Van Vollenhovenstraat lies in the Scheepvaartkwartier, one of the few parts of Rotterdam where the nineteenth century city is still intact. Numbers 23, 25 and 27 are three adjoining monuments with the tall rooms, rich facades and generous stairwells that belong to this neighbourhood.

Our first study looked at a mixed programme: shops and horeca on the ground floor with a hotel above. It showed how much the buildings could carry, and also what such a programme would ask of them in terms of installations, escape routes and changes to the structure. In the end the choice was made for apartments. Living is what these houses were built for, and it is the use that asks the least of the monument.

The three buildings have been turned into apartments, each with its own layout that follows the existing rooms. Historic elements such as facades, stairwells, ceilings, fireplaces and have been restored and kept in view. What is new has been added with restraint and can be read as of today. The result gives three monuments a long term use that fits both the buildings and the street.