Drost + van Veen architecten bv

four of six images from the 19 September 2008 issue of eye candy...

PLASWIJCKPARK ROTTERDAMA new entrance and a new identity Plaswijck Park, a recreational and historical nature park with an educational character, has been transformed by Drost + van Veen in an operation that involved moving the entrance to the other side of the park. A total of five new structures have been made: a pedestrian bridge over the road, an entrance gate, a ticket booth, an office building containing a shop selling sweets and souvenirs and a restaurant.In the words of the designers, these structures form a visual family because the same materials and construction have been used throughout. There is also a marked affinity in the expressionist organic forms of the five structures. The most striking material is the thatch used to roof three of the structures. The traditional reed thatch rests on a contemporary steel construction. This, together with the bright colours, serves to offset the suggestion of rusticity, reminding visitors that the park is nature in the city, not wilderness. The old-fashioned lettering on the ticket booth is wholly in keeping with a park that offers such uncomplicated, old-fashioned amusements as swan-shaped pedal boats.Project: Entrance buildings and bridge for PlaswijckparkCity: RotterdamArea: 700 m2 Client: stichting PlaswijckparkRealisation: 1999

many thanks to Marloes Koster at
Drost + van Veen architecten bvfor providing the project description and images!

Photography credit:
Rob ‘t Hart and Christian Richters