Hybrid building analysis

1. Project Scale

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands | 2015

Area: 45,000 sqm | Despite the total sqm, the project is not too large. However, the narrow streets that surround it, emphasise its presence within the urban fabric from a human perspective. The building maintains the same height as its context and densifies towards the centre, as a strategic move to look more permeable from the street. Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland | 2014

Area: 125,000 sqm | Due to the multiple requirements of the brief and the total sqm, the building itself looks extremely massive. The materials selection also strengthen the volumetric composition. However, the urban context complements this project adequately by having other buildings with similar characteristics located at a significant distance apart. Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland | 2009

Area: 35,000 sqm | From a human perspective, the building does not seem massive because it keeps the same height as the surrounding buildings and, strategically, the density is injected through two svelte residential towers opposite from each other that constitute landmarks within the urbanscape. A large open space in the middle makes it even more permeable.

2&3. Urban Density and Relevance

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Timmerhuis is located in the CBD of Rotterdam, so there is a large presence of commercial activity and a high density of residents in permanent interaction with the project. Also, the role of public actors is significant as well since apart from the museum that the hybrid building contains, there are other cultural, educational and governmental facilities in the area. Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland.

The building hosts a museum and a university, therefore rather than being fed by its immediate context, it is the reason for the synergy in the area. The surrounding buildings are mainly big commercial facilities and warehouses, which makes the context fully private-owned. The project is responsible to inject some mixture (public access) into the urban fabric. Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland

The project is located in the middle of two attractor points. In the southeast, there is a commercial zone with several types of retails and cafes; and on the opposite side, there is a large green area. Within a walkable distance, some other facilities are dispersed (a hospital, schools and a cultural centre) which also work as active agents that energise the neighbourhood.

4. Urban Connectivity

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Timmerhuis is located in the middle of two main roads, that apart from vehicles, contain public transport routes. The closest tram line is 150m from the main entrance. On the other side, a bike network runs along the facade from North to South. There is a metro station very close. Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland.

The building is located between two major roads, and next to an elevated railway that runs North to South. There is a big amount of railways only at 300m distance, however, there is not any train station nearby. The connection of the building with the public transport network is through a tram line that runs along its South facade. Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland

The project is located on one main road, that has large vehicular traffic; y close to other major arteries of the same hierarchy. The building is also directly connected to the public transport network since a tram line runs along the main street. The tram stops are not in the front of the building, which encourage flow of people. Also, it is in the middle of a well-connected bike network.

5. Integrated Public Realm

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland. Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland

The biggest contribution from the project to the public domain is a passage -almost in the middle of the lot- from one street to the other. Even though it does not represent too many sqm, somehow invites the person to ‘be part of’ and connect with the life contained within the building. The strategy seems to be showing only a small part that triggers curiosity to discover more. At the moment of readapting the original building, the architects decided to keep the original ramp and give that major infrastructure to the public domain. Even though its aesthetic might not be very pleasant since its materiality looks a bit rough, the interesting thing is the concept: it leads people right into the core of the cultural and entertainment spaces on the sixth level. Two elements constitute the major contribution to the public realm, making this project the best example of an extension of the city horizontally and vertically. On one hand, the main plaza in the middle of the block that, fed by a rich programme, creates a vibrant and active space. On the other hand, the volume in the middle of which programme is fully community-focused.

6&7. Programme Diversity and Scale

Car park Offices Living Shopping Education Culture Sportive Other

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland. Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland

There is a clear separation of public/private uses. The common pair -residential and offices- is located on the highest levels, whereas the programme more related to the community is designated in the lower levels. The passage between streets articulates all the different packages of uses and, spatially, invites the visitor to discover more about the building. Differently from most of the hybrid buildings, where living areas have the major protagonism, Education is the key component of the project since it hosts a university and other learning spaces. The way it opens up to the community is through the culture (an auditorium, a museum and a small library) while the living and work areas are put in a second plane. There are two main groups equally balanced in regards to their significance for the project: the residential towers and the duality conformed by educational and coworking spaces (for startups in the community). The rest of the uses, even small in terms of sqm, have great importance to make the core of the block into an active and vibrant public realm.

8. Programme Relationship

PRIVATE PUBLIC PRIVATE

PUBLIC PRIVATE PUBLIC

Car park Offices

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands Living

The connection between the programme in the three lower levels of the buildings is physical and horizontally since the public has access to almost all spaces. The higher levels, which contain a more private use, create a visual connection with the passage (public realm) through two large structural voids that run-up. Shopping

Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland. Education Culture Sportive

Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland Other

The vertical connection between learning and cultural spaces is essential in this project. Large staircases expressed with brilliant colours are the protagonist of the space. They shrink and expand in different parts to create different types of spaces, like big halls or areas for an encounter. Differently from other examples, education and workspaces are more related to the public domain rather than the private due to their access to the community. That is what makes this project unique and constitute its social character. At the same time, this block is a soft transition between a very active base and the residential towers (more privacy).

9. Flexibility

Source: Archdaily, OMA ©

Timmerhuis OMA | Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Two large rectangular volumes are the clear manifestation of the flexibility of the building. Currently, they enable the building to vent and have natural light. However, and due to its structural skeleton, it can add more sqm in the future if needed.

Source: Archdaily, EM2N ©

Toni-Areal EM2N | Zurich, Switzerland.

This parameter was incorporated into the design considering the present time, no a future-looking perspective. This building used to be a milk factory, therefore its adaptation to the current needs of a new social and structural network was the response for today, which limits its capacity to be re-adapted again in the future.

Source: REX ©

Low2no REX | Helsinki, Finland

This project incorporates flexibility in two points. First, the modular structure of the residential towers’ facades by giving the user the option to open or close panels. Secondly, the capacity to place this hybrid building anywhere. The uses at the ground level can be adapted to the context where it is inserted.

Key points of Hybrid Buildings

1Project Scale • Extremely condensed urban block • Increases city’s density • Horizontally & vertically • Relation mass & permeability

2Urban Density • Fed by density of the context • Density & congestion in the area • Needs interaction with surrounding buildings’ functions

3Urban Relevance • Goes beyond a single building • Scale is a key driver of its existence • Relevant to overall context

4

Urban Connectivity

• Socially open building • Connection with city is crucial • Network of infrastructure & public transport • Proximity to hotpots to suceed

• Extends the city public domain horizontally & vertically • Links public domain inside<>outside • Social<>Private interwine well

5Integrated Public Realm

6

Programme Diversity

• Unnexpected mix of functions (not only usual) • Looks at how each function individually contributes to the overall synergy 7 Programme Scale • Not only diversity of programmes, should be dense. • Wide range & variety of scale • Not side-by-side. Must be integrated • Visual and/or physical connections • Transition Public<>Private

8Programme Relationship

9

Flexibility

• Ability to change according to situations • Not an end point • Structural & social framework adapted