Rotterdam in development

50 R O T T E R D A M I N D E V E L O P M E N T | 2 0 1 8 he Zuiderhof residential neighbourhood is being designed around the historic core, offering 131 ground-level homes of which 36 have already been rented out. The combination of the redevelopment of the Ensemble and the new construction in the Zuiderhof is an example of the versatility shown by project developer Impact Vastgoed in all their projects. The Zuider Hospital, once a familiar place on both banks of the Maas in Rotterdam, was built between 1929 and 1939 and expanded over the years with pavilions and adjoining buildings. It became obsolete in 2011, when the Zuider Hospital merged with the Clara Hospital in a new complex and became Maasstad Hospital. The question was: what to do with the Zuider Hospital? “The first suggestion was total demolition,” says Philip van der Ent, one of the founders of Impact Vastgoed. “There were protests against the demolition plan. In the end, following extensive conversations with the municipality and with various parties, the decision was made to repurpose the building, just before the demolition ball was about to swing in.” One of those parties was Impact Vastgoed; another was BOEi, a nationally-active social enterprise that works to restore and repurpose cultural heritage sites. SENSATIONAL The result was a sensational plan: “A design plan in which the Ensemble buildings are repurposed and the new-build district of the Zuiderhof surrounds the historic core,” says Wyke Oosthout, Zuiderhof Project Manager at Impact Vastgoed. The Ensemble will host a varied programme: around 80 loft apartments in the ‘Carré’, the highest structure on the former hospital complex, single-family homes in the former hospital’s former pavilions and in the South Gymnasium gatehouse, and workspaces for freelancers and start-ups. Impact Vastgoed is working closely with BOEi to breathe new life into the historic core of the Zuiderhof. The 131 new-build homes around the historic core are available for sale and to rent, which makes it possible for residents of Rotterdam South to climb the housing ladder without having to move to another part of the city or even relocate outside the local authority area. “This means we are offering a completely new product,” says Philip van der Ent. “It’s a huge opportunity for Rotterdam South, but it is also THE DEMOLITION BALL NEARLY RAZED THE EMPTY ZUIDER HOSPITAL IN ROTTERDAM SOUTH TO THE GROUND. BUT IT DID NOT GET THAT FAR: THE FORMER HOSPITAL COMPLEX WILL SOON BE THE BEATING HEART OF THE NEW RESIDENTIAL AREA, HET ZUIDERHOF, WHICH BORDERS ON THE VALKENIERSWEIDE AND THE MUCH-LOVED VREEWIJK GARDEN VILLAGE. THE MONUMENTAL ENSEMBLE PROVIDES THE DISTINCTIVE HISTORIC CORE OF THIS AREA, WHICH WILL INCLUDE SPACE FOR THE GYMNASIUM OP ZUID, WORKPLACES, TOWN HOUSES AND LOFT APARTMENTS.