Column by Eduard Voorn

Eduard Voorn is a freelance journalist with a focus on economics, and first and foremost a Rotterdammer. He lives in the villagey outskirts of Rotterdam Central District, eats his pizza at Bird, raises a pint at Biergarten or Weena, gets his caffeine fix at Lebkov and catches the latest flicks in Pathé Schouwburgplein. His kids were born in the now-famous Mecanoo architectural firm’s first project on Kruisplein.

RESTAURANTS, BARS AND CAFÉS:

THE JAZZ OF ROTTERDAM

Here’s an idea. Why not turn Fontein, the restaurant on top of Hofplein 19, into a scenic viewpoint? Ascend to see Rotterdam Central District (RCD) at your feet, then grab a bite to eat in the rooftop restaurant where Chef Ronald Koolmees serves up his creative creations.

This is a good segue into something I’d like to say about the importance of cafés, restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs in RCD. More to the point, about how important they are – with stars or without – for keeping a city alive. Alongside cultural venues, drinking and dining establishments are the pulse of a place and what make any urban centre appealing. If that pulse stops, it goes dead and barren.

I can still see and feel Roeland Flierman of Mess Group, in the spring of 2020, gazing sadly across the fences and barbed wire blocking access to Biergarten. In the depths of the pandemic, I regularly walked through RCD. Everything was shuttered, dead, deserted.

Above all, there was deafening silence. Biergarten – that pioneer of serendipitous encounters between suited and booted office workers and longboard-toting creatives – sat abandoned. Normally, the sun-drenched wooden staircase is the place to meet. Now, it wasn’t.

A wispy cloud veils the sun as Ron de Jong and I stare down towards the Weena café-bar from the terrace of his rooftop restaurant. De Jong, like Flierman, is a restaurateur in RCD. From his rooftop restaurant, Fontein, he gazes towards Weena, his other establishment in RCD. He sees and feels that, in spite of all the uncertainties, the pulse is stuttering back to life. In fits and starts, Holland is gradually unlocking.

The next day, I see, feel and taste the pulse that De Jong was talking about. Wilfried de Jong, Benjamin Herman and Cathelijne Beijn, better known as DJ Rita Lynn, are standing behind a DJ mixer, spinning sizzling new and old jazz out in front of the Bird jazz stage. Rotterdam is jazz – jazz is Rotterdam. But right at this moment, jazz is the AED of RCD. As dusk falls, Hofplein 19 and Hofplein 20, aka Hofpoort, rise up, and Andre, my server, pours an excellent Perrin Luberon. Later, walking across Biergarten, I see more signs of life. Slowly but steadily, our pulse is returning.

DO ING B USI NES S with the rest of the world

With its abundance of talented people, desirable housing market and far-reaching academic influence, Rotterdam is a rich metropolis with its own distinctive mentality. Greater Rotterdam, the Randstad and the rest of the country are always within easy reach. Which places The Modernist at the epicentre of this exciting dynamic. Just a minute’s walk from Rotterdam Central Station and a twelve-minute drive from the national motorway network.

The Modernist is the final project in redeveloping the Weenapoint complex to be a melting pot of metropolitan professionalism, hospitality and economic diversity.

At ground level, The Modernist directly connects with what’s happening on the street. This strong relationship continues to the offices above the plinth, which are constructed within an enormous framework which provides a colossal window onto the city, maintaining a bond between inside and outside.

This framework houses four floors of office space measuring up to 3,000 m2 lettable area per floor. Modular design provides flexibility to partition this as needed. All floors, voids, stairs and walls can be freely moved around to create fully customized working environments. From experimental and dynamic to pragmatic, and everything in between.

The Modernist’s design lends simple, yet strong character to the entrance to the city of Rotterdam. The architecture style was chosen to reflect the city’s reconstruction and fits in well with existing buildings such as the Groothandels gebouw and FIRST. The Modernist is being developed from the standpoint that it will be second to none when compared to other buildings in Rotterdam and the surrounding area. One illustration of this is the way the large office floors are equipped with high-quality air purification systems which guarantee the best possible air quality. The building will also be given a BREEAM-NL Excellent certificate, confirming it meets the highest sustainability standards.

The connection between inside and outside isn’t limited to the building’s ground floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a central atrium allow an aboveaverage amount of daylight to penetrate the building.

The Modernist is an office building designed to meet the wants and needs of both today’s and tomorrow’s users. It is being developed on the basis of a multi-tenant concept, ensuring suitability for housing several different companies who share various facilities. Office space can be rented in units from approximately 1,500 m2 up to 12,500 m2 .