Aldowa factory, Rotterdam
Siteplan
Project: New construction and renovation of production halls and office building
Client: Aldowa
Location: Rotterdam
Year: 2019-2022
Size: 3.100m2
Project phases: SO, VO, DO, TO, BA and UO
“In as much as the interior spaces reinforce the company’s core values, the exterior reinforces the company’s core business: the facade is clad in perforated aluminium plates produced in-house, and these feature a dynamic gradient pattern lending elegance and sophistication to what is typically a pragmatic building typology.”
- B2A Founding Partner, Tjerk Boom
Ground floor, entrance and production area
The orange as the company’s brand color has been subtly integrated into the design
The flexible production area with large glass openings and a direct connection to the outside landscape
Front view, perforation principle facade
First floor, office area
The entrance staircase as a spatial element
First floor, offices with meeting rooms and support areas
Facade, the moving front and side facade from the road
Sustainability scheme
Facade (entrance)
Principe (perforated facade)
Description
Aldowa is a 3100m2 new building for an aluminium manufacturer in Rotterdam. Comprising both commercial offices and a production floor, the design subtly integrates the company’s core values of openness and transparency across building production and office programs with open floor plans and long sightlines that emphasise collaboration and connection.
Upon arriving at the Aldowa factory, visitors are met with a striking introduction to the interior life of the building with a large incision in the building’s volume. This glass opening creates a strong visual connection between indoor and outdoor space. Entering immerses the visitor in the production process, which is accessed through the main hall, while bold staircases in Aldowa’s trademark company colour not only provide clear orientation and access to office spaces, but visual vibrancy and boldness, contrasting with the quiet tones of the interior.
In the production space, a concrete floor provides a base element for the quiet interior materiality interrupted only by the bold orange staircases, ushering occupants to upper level office spaces. Here, muted tones continue with slightly more refined qualities. A concrete floor defined by black plinth demarcates the entry space, while in the workspaces, white furniture, with soft carpets beneath, and white stucco walls, provide a visually uncluttered backdrop for working life at Aldowa.
On the exterior facade, the rhythmic play of the diagonal shapes creates a layered appearance. This depth is enhanced by the added gradient pattern. Located next to a pond, the facade has a beautiful reflection in the water, further emphasising Aldowa’s core process: the transformation of a simple metal plate into a dynamic facade cassette. With no distinction in the facade between the production area and the office the company’s non-hierarchical values are further underlined, emphasising the production building’s inherently public building qualities.
The building closes by means of an ordering principle of columns with a tessellation built seamlessly onto the adjacent characteristic Tollens factory. The columns and tessellation have been given a depth for plasticity to strengthen the building.
To enhance performance, all window openings are triple-glazed, while solar panels installed across the roof supply sufficient energy to meet operational demands. Durable materials in all aspects of the building ensure long lasting, high quality performance.
