Regeneration through culture

The Zuidplein Theatre is part of Hart van Zuid, an urban regeneration project that is being carried out in Rotterdam as part of a region-wide public-private partnership. In cooperation with the city of Rotterdam, the real estate developers Ballast Nedam and Heijmans are building the Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre, the Zwemcentrum Rotterdam swimming pool, an extension to the Zuidplein shopping centre, a new bus station, hotels and housing. The public spaces will also be completely redesigned. The Zuidplein Theatre is the second project to be completed in Hart van Zuid in 2020 following the Zwemcentrum Rotterdam.
The new building replaces the adjacent eponymous former theatre built in 1953. Its location in the centre of the Hart van Zuid neighbourhood close to the bus and metro stations makes it one of the most appealing spaces in the new masterplan.
The library inside the theatre organises a packed programme of educational events and is particularly popular with young people, who are also interested in the theatre repertoire. In keeping with its public function, the lobby has an extra stage that hosts children’s performances, bands and DJs, and exhibitions.
The theatre has a clear, compact volume of approximately 12,500 square metres, with the two auditoriums positioned on the metro side furthest away from the residential areas. The building is enclosed by a sturdy masonry façade accented by distinctive vertical niches. By contrast, a semi-transparent anodised aluminium voile drapes delicately over the entrance, the heart of the new complex. The entrance area hosts the main public functions such as the library reading tables and the café/restaurant. At night, this metallic lacework façade illuminates from within to highlight the inviting entrance.
The transparency and curved form of the aluminium voile are reflected in the flexible and mobile bespoke furniture designed by BURO M2R, which allows for various spatial configurations. These metallic elements contrast with the red and black of the upholstery and porcelain tiled floors and give this large space an atmosphere that is at once elegant and inclusive.
The Reverso stone-effect porcelain tile collection from Coem was chosen for the large entrance foyer, the reception area and the bathrooms, and was installed in a wave pattern.
The collection is inspired by the backs of travertine slabs, with all their imperfections, roughness and variations in colour caused by the passage of time. The 45×90 cm planks, chosen in the colours Beige and Walnut, create a texture which in its apparent imperfection brings a sense of movement to the theatre’s entrance area.
«The entrance and reception area of this solid brick building and its contrasting anodised aluminium voile façade are the real heart of the project,» confirms Bart van Kampen, partner at De Zwarte Hond. «This is where everything happens; it is the public area of the theatre but also a community place, the «living room» of Rotterdam-Zuid.»