Healthpark I
Rotterdam
2019
+/- 165.000 m2
International designcontest, Rotterdam, Urban design, Landscape, healthy environment
Healthpark I aims to become the healthiest area in Rotterdam to live and work in. Where living healthy is integrated and stimulated in its architecture and the public realm. With proximity to the ring road and public transport, one can be out of the city or within the city centre in minutes. The Healthpark I provides an area where city meets rural. By living in an urban typology covered with nature you’ll have the feeling of living in a lively city centre with nature at its heart. Healthpark I will become a destination and a toroughfare for the city of Rotterdam, a lively area where people want to live and work in.
Brainpark I is in its current form underused and not accommodating to the citizens of Rotterdam. With the A16 located adjacent to it, it also poses a risk to the living quality of the area. Our aspiration of transforming the area in the healthiest environment of Rotterdam, with a vibrant and versatile mix of functions and activities, creates quite a challenge. In our research on healthy cities we came across the concept of Blue Zones, places on earth where relatively large amounts of people reach the age of hundred in good mental and physical health. The following four principles derive from this concept and are integrated in our proposal from interior to the urban plan.
From Brainpark to Healthpark
When we look specifically at Brainpark I several main issues arise. The area in its current format is monofunctional and feels deserted, not only because of the lack of activities outside of the offices, but also because of its grand lay-out with its patches of undefined green. As a result the area lacks a clear identity, only exacerbated by its inaccessibility. Brainpark feels like a fortress with the individual offices as isolated bunkers. Wedged between the university campus and the A16 it becomes a dead-end of the city. It is our goal to utilize and strengthen the project area to its fullest and become the healthiest area in Rotterdam to live and work. Through our analysis of the project site we divided the area into three different character areas, each with its own setoff challenges, while maintaining its connectiveness and effectivity as a whole.
These three character areas are:
1. The permeable village:
an attractive pedestrian area
acting as the face of the region
2. The green heart:
an extensive green area for leisure,
sports and relaxation
3. The urban ribbon:
a mixed use urban area acting as a
buffer against the A16
These character areas are connected with each other and
its environment through two main axes, creating a clear link
between the campus, the new Healthpark and the public
transport hub of Kralingse Zoom.
