Hogeschool Rotterdam — long oak stair under a glass roof, with a tree and a seating landscape

Hogeschool Rotterdam — Kralingse Zoom

Education — Rotterdam

Bespoke work for an open and sustainable learning environment where studying and meeting come together.

Summary

For Hogeschool Rotterdam's new location at Kralingse Zoom, we delivered all of the bespoke furniture and the tiered seating floors in the lecture halls. A large-scale education project centred on sustainability, flexibility and intensive daily use.

Client

Hogeschool Rotterdam

Sector

Education

Location

Kralingse Zoom, Rotterdam

Completed

2023

Hogeschool Rotterdam — oak volume in the central hall with the media library and service desk

Project

The new building at Kralingse Zoom is the home of the Hogeschool Rotterdam Business School: an open learning environment for around 10,000 students and staff, with teaching spaces, study areas, project rooms and hospitality facilities and plenty of room for meeting, collaboration and independent study. For this project, we delivered all of the bespoke furniture and the tiered seating floors in the lecture halls.

Hogeschool Rotterdam — wide oak stair with stepped planters and oak walls

Hogeschool Rotterdam — media library desk with oak slats and an oak high table with bar stools

Approach

The building is organised around open study areas, plenty of daylight and a strong connection between its different teaching functions. The interior supports many ways of learning: from studying alone to working together and presenting.

For Hemlock, that meant a broad bespoke scope, designed for intensive daily use. The various pieces of furniture and tiered seating elements were developed as part of one coherent learning environment, in keeping with the architecture and the interior concept.

Hogeschool Rotterdam — lecture hall with dark blue tip-up seats and an oak stage

Hogeschool Rotterdam — bar with vertical wooden slats, a black terrazzo top and a hanging rack with plants

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Detail

A distinctive feature of the building is its tiered seating and study areas, which serve not only as circulation and seating space but also as places to work, meet and present. The tiered seating floors and bespoke furniture we delivered tie in directly with that multifunctional use.

Sustainability also plays an important role in the project. Gispen reused and refurbished a large part of the existing educational furniture, while new furniture was selected for circularity and interchangeability. As a result, the fit-out is designed for a long lifespan and changing use.

Hogeschool Rotterdam — anthracite steps and oak balustrade in a tiered classroom

Hogeschool Rotterdam — detail of the desk with a white top and vertical oak slats with an LED plinth

Hogeschool Rotterdam — detail of the stair with oak slats

Credits

Architect:: Paul de Ruiter Architects
Interior plan:: Studio groen+schild
Contractor:: Heerkens van Bavel Bouw

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