OVG Real Estate
Las Palmas buidling Rotterdam Netherlands (by OVG)
Photo by Bart van Damme.
Once due for demolition, now a city icon.
After standing empty for years the old Las Palmas was due for demolition. A pity, especially considering the history of the edifice. The building had been erected as workshop building for the Holland America Line by the architects Van den Broek & Bakema in 1953 and could certainly be considered part of the Dutch architectural heritage. After years of many different functions it finally fell into disrepair. Many plans were devised to save it, but none were feasible financially and it seemed to mean the end for the building…
OVG developed a business model that enabled the old warehouse not only to be saved, but also to make it something more than it had ever been. A unique mix of cultural and commercial organizations jointly provided a financially sound foundation on which this creative redevelopment project could be realized.
Most extraordinary, however, was not what happened inside the old Las Palmas, but what happened on top. A unique design by Benthem Crouwel Architecten enabled OVG to almost double the effective space of the property and furthermore create the most sought-after workplace in Rotterdam. In our view this project exactly encapsulates all that OVG stands for so it should come as no surprise that we decided to occupy this revolutionary property ourselves.
Las Palmas buidling Rotterdam Netherlands (by OVG)
Photo by Bart van Damme.
Once due for demolition, now a city icon.
After standing empty for years the old Las Palmas was due for demolition. A pity, especially considering the history of the edifice. The building had been erected as workshop building for the Holland America Line by the architects Van den Broek & Bakema in 1953 and could certainly be considered part of the Dutch architectural heritage. After years of many different functions it finally fell into disrepair. Many plans were devised to save it, but none were feasible financially and it seemed to mean the end for the building…
OVG developed a business model that enabled the old warehouse not only to be saved, but also to make it something more than it had ever been. A unique mix of cultural and commercial organizations jointly provided a financially sound foundation on which this creative redevelopment project could be realized.
Most extraordinary, however, was not what happened inside the old Las Palmas, but what happened on top. A unique design by Benthem Crouwel Architecten enabled OVG to almost double the effective space of the property and furthermore create the most sought-after workplace in Rotterdam. In our view this project exactly encapsulates all that OVG stands for so it should come as no surprise that we decided to occupy this revolutionary property ourselves.