Fenixloods - from warehouse to loft (Urban Frontiers 133)
Europe, Netherlands, Rotterdam, Katendrecht, Fenix-loods 1 (cut from B)
When I made a fairly late lunch walk some weeks ago, I saw this remarkable, though not exactly unexpected site along the Veemstraat in Rotterdam Katendrecht, near the old’ Rijnhaven’ harbour basin: the stripped and partly demolished reinforced concrete frame of the Fenix (Phoenix ) 1 building (a veem= a warehouse, a harbor storage facility), the structure that’s on display here. The building dates back to 1898, it’s an early and fascinating example of a modernist industrial structure without load bearing walls.
It’s undergoing redevelopment now, it will be Fenixlofts. In the process a 12 floor apartment building will be stacked on top of it.
Here’s the story of the building:
1898-1950
The Fenix 1 , together with Fenix 2, once formed the giant ‘San Francisco’ veem. With a a length of 300 m the then longest / largest veem in the world. The building has a complex and somewhat dramatic history which reflects the history of Rotterdam. At first it was used as the storage facility of the HAL (Holland America Line). At the start of the second world war the quay facilities were severly damaged during a German bombing raid The attack and at the end of the war again.
1950- end 80s
After the war San Francisco was repaired, the HAL moved its facilities to the adjacent Wilhelminapier and the ‘Van Gend en Loos’ transport company moved to the building. In 1947 a fire destroyed the middle part of it. In 1950 the two remaining parts were redeveloped on instigation of the municipality of Rotterdam as Fenix-loods 1 and Fenix-loods 2 and the open space was partly filled by a facility building for habour workers with washrooms, toilets and a large canteen. C.Steinweg Handelsveem became the prime user of the buildings.
End 80s till now
At the end of the 80s during the big transformation of the Rotterdam harbor, the Rijnhaven together with the adjacent Maashaven largely lost their harbor function. After a number of plans and studies in 2012 the municipality decided to redevelop both buildings as an element of the redevelopment / gentrification of the dilapidated Katendrecht quarter, which is an element of the Kop van Zuid urban restructuring masterplan plan which involves all the old harbours on the south bank of the river) .
The first stage of the redevelopment was to allow temporary commercial and artistic use of the Fenix buildings. Fenix 1 was primarly used for exhibitions. In the first comment are two images made during the RAW art exhibition there.
In the former harbour workers canteen Theater Walhalla was created. In a move to speed up / facilitate the social-cultural part of the redevelopment / gentrification process of the quarter, this organization was funded by the property developer to intensify their cultural program.
Fenix 2 is used by Circuscentrum op De Kaap created by the Codarts Circus Arts school and Circus Rotjeknor and the hipster FenixFoodFactory.
The architectural plan for the redevelopment of Fenix 1 is handled by Mei Architects from Rotterdam. The property developer is Proper Stok, the building contractor is Heijmans.
Oh, behind Fenix 1 on the Wilhelminapier are the ‘Montevideo’ (Mecanoo, 2005) left and ‘New Orleans’ highrises (Alvaro Siza, 2010) right.
Fenixloods - from warehouse to loft (Urban Frontiers 133)
Europe, Netherlands, Rotterdam, Katendrecht, Fenix-loods 1 (cut from B)
When I made a fairly late lunch walk some weeks ago, I saw this remarkable, though not exactly unexpected site along the Veemstraat in Rotterdam Katendrecht, near the old’ Rijnhaven’ harbour basin: the stripped and partly demolished reinforced concrete frame of the Fenix (Phoenix ) 1 building (a veem= a warehouse, a harbor storage facility), the structure that’s on display here. The building dates back to 1898, it’s an early and fascinating example of a modernist industrial structure without load bearing walls.
It’s undergoing redevelopment now, it will be Fenixlofts. In the process a 12 floor apartment building will be stacked on top of it.
Here’s the story of the building:
1898-1950
The Fenix 1 , together with Fenix 2, once formed the giant ‘San Francisco’ veem. With a a length of 300 m the then longest / largest veem in the world. The building has a complex and somewhat dramatic history which reflects the history of Rotterdam. At first it was used as the storage facility of the HAL (Holland America Line). At the start of the second world war the quay facilities were severly damaged during a German bombing raid The attack and at the end of the war again.
1950- end 80s
After the war San Francisco was repaired, the HAL moved its facilities to the adjacent Wilhelminapier and the ‘Van Gend en Loos’ transport company moved to the building. In 1947 a fire destroyed the middle part of it. In 1950 the two remaining parts were redeveloped on instigation of the municipality of Rotterdam as Fenix-loods 1 and Fenix-loods 2 and the open space was partly filled by a facility building for habour workers with washrooms, toilets and a large canteen. C.Steinweg Handelsveem became the prime user of the buildings.
End 80s till now
At the end of the 80s during the big transformation of the Rotterdam harbor, the Rijnhaven together with the adjacent Maashaven largely lost their harbor function. After a number of plans and studies in 2012 the municipality decided to redevelop both buildings as an element of the redevelopment / gentrification of the dilapidated Katendrecht quarter, which is an element of the Kop van Zuid urban restructuring masterplan plan which involves all the old harbours on the south bank of the river) .
The first stage of the redevelopment was to allow temporary commercial and artistic use of the Fenix buildings. Fenix 1 was primarly used for exhibitions. In the first comment are two images made during the RAW art exhibition there.
In the former harbour workers canteen Theater Walhalla was created. In a move to speed up / facilitate the social-cultural part of the redevelopment / gentrification process of the quarter, this organization was funded by the property developer to intensify their cultural program.
Fenix 2 is used by Circuscentrum op De Kaap created by the Codarts Circus Arts school and Circus Rotjeknor and the hipster FenixFoodFactory.
The architectural plan for the redevelopment of Fenix 1 is handled by Mei Architects from Rotterdam. The property developer is Proper Stok, the building contractor is Heijmans.
Oh, behind Fenix 1 on the Wilhelminapier are the ‘Montevideo’ (Mecanoo, 2005) left and ‘New Orleans’ highrises (Alvaro Siza, 2010) right.