A Cornucopia of Functionality
The “Markthal” in the centre of Rotterdam is a singular project in many ways. Being the first covered market hall in the Netherlands featuring a prominent horse-shoe structure, it is enclosed by a complex of residential apartments and completed with a cable-net facade on its front and back side. The penthouse apartments act as the keystone of the market hall, carried by concrete walls spanning over 36m. The entire complex has a footprint of approximately 120 x 90m and stands 40m tall. Moreover, a multi-storey parking garage is available in the underground. The hall is built on sandy soil, basing on a layer of soft clay in a depth of 30m.
The ceiling and internal facade of the “Markthal” and the surrounding apartment complex is decorated with the painting “Hoorn des Overvloeds” (English: “Horn of Plenty”) of Dutch artist Arno Coenen, which he created together with team Coenen and in collaboration with Frank Hanswijk and Winny Maas.
