ZoHo is an area adjacent to Rotterdam’s Central Business District. In the past decade, creative professionals have turned a brownfield into a lively district.

This low-rise business area with its own identity will be transformed into a mixed neighborhood to meet the city’s urgent densification challenges. It will become a new creative district where not only existing local businesses , but also a mix of new neighborhood residents can flourish. It is bound to set new standards for urban living and working.

Densification with identity preservation The design accommodates multiple ambitions that withstand long-term development. Building upon what is already there: a strong community of creative professionals. By adding new layers and embracing existing ones, the creative population already present in the area can flourish and at the same time, being able to allocate residential space for a mixed population of new residents. Striving to keep social and middle class in the city.

Stacking and intertwining

We stack three habitats: lab, land(scape) and city. Where a mix in housing (from social to privately owned, from micro-apartments to townhouses) is spread across levels. Not just stacking different layers, but intertwining by adding collective spaces for social cohesion.

Climate adaptation The elevated rooftop park makes this design climate adaptive, as the area is prone to flooding after downpours. It is a sponge city with an underground reservoir and irrigation system for extreme draught in summertime.

Social inclusion by configuration Social inclusion and cohesion is created by a mix in typologies and social housing, work spaces, collective spaces and in the way these are configured.

Mix use and high diversity We built upon ZOHO’s current identity when curating the interpretation of the various functions. Explicitly looking at how parties underline and reinforce the DNA, balancing the program through a complementary mix of functions.