The city of Rotterdam developed a ‘Werkstad Tot Woonstad’ (Working City to Living City) strategy to transform the city centre from a workplace that emptied in the evening into an exciting environment where residents lived, worked and played. DunnettCraven worked with the city to develop masterplan proposals to transform a forgotten backwater behind the Coolsingel area into a new vibrant neighbourhood.

Our proposals for the Baankwartier incorporated 800 apartments, 27,000m² of retail and cultural facilities and 15,000m² of social facilities, and focused not only on providing places for people to live, but also build on the success of the adjoining Witte de Witte Straat to create a vibrant new quarter for the city.

A key aspect of the strategy was the impact on the local community and the work addressed how the area could be progressively developed without wholesale disruption of existing businesses. The plan was therefore envisaged as a phased series of progressive improvements, each of which would create a new space for living.