With this architecture, I have a lot of thoughts. Which means the sadness. At any rate, at first, Let’s talking about the architecture itself. This architecture had been completed in 1996. The architect is Koen van Velsen. He has his studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. And also he had designed the Media headquarters in Hilversum. If you see the film about that in here. You had better to understand my talks.
The City Rotterdam has the population about 2,000,000 persons. Compare with Newyork, Tokyo, The Rotterdam is small town. And the original Rotterdam was almost ruined in Second world war. I got the photographs of that times. Absolutely, all the city was destructed. In Schouwburgplein plaza, Only one theater had survived after the war.
With this architecture, I have a lot of thoughts. Which means the sadness. At any rate, at first, Let’s talking about the architecture itself. This architecture had been completed in 1996. The architect is Koen van Velsen. He has his studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. And also he had designed the Media headquarters in Hilversum. If you see the film about that in here. You had better to understand my talks.
The City Rotterdam has the population about 2,000,000 persons. Compare with Newyork, Tokyo, The Rotterdam is small town. And the original Rotterdam was almost ruined in Second world war. I got the photographs of that times. Absolutely, all the city was destructed. In Schouwburgplein plaza, Only one theater had survived after the war.
Times after times, the citizens wanted new modern big theater. In 1993, This plaza had prepared the worldwide competition for the new Schouwburgplein. The landscape designer group, WEST8, had won the plaza plan. In fact, The theater, before 1993, had planned very delicately. Because of the importance of historical meaning.
When I had seen this architecture for the first time, I was surprised by the excellence of the architecture.
The official name was MEGA CINEMA. But the people call it Pathe. This architecture has 7 cinema. At that times, new idea for the Cinema that was multi-cinema. The bigger 4 cinemas were placed in upper. So, the roof’s spaces has the powerful ones. the smaller 3 cinema were placed in lower area. And there 3 cinema had supported the upper cinema’s structure.
The main material of this architecture is acryl that is plastic and semi-transparent panel. The lines of the acrylic material were horizontal array. In a day, the interior of the architecture were very brilliant by the sunshine. In a night, the exterior of the theater , in other words, that is Schouwburgplein plaza has the beautiful light through this semi-transparent acrylic material.
The underground were used for the parking space for the people. All were perfect. These spaces can be one by the dramatic volume. Literally, This architecture were the mecca of the theater.
I had visited this architecture more than 20 times. And I began to feel the problems of modern architecture. Year by year, seasons by seasons, time after times. This architecture had changed to old. Now, Not any more new architecture. The acrylic material had changed the original color. Now , Not any more semi-transparent acryl. The concrete had started to crack. Overall of this architecture are dirty. This is the big homework for the modern architects.
A few years ago, The architect, Koen van Velsen had designed for the Media HQ in hilversum. That building was different and had the diverse design. The building had prepared for being old. And there are the void spaces for the future design not by the architect but by the nature that is weathering acts.