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Rotterdam, The Netherlands

ZOHO is a neighborhood within Rotterdam's inner city, with its own identity shaped by entrepreneurship, social initiatives, and vibrant communities.

Within the design, to turn this area from a commercial into a mixed neighborhood, three living environments are stacked on top of one another to identify three layers: Lab, Land, and City. With the workspaces of creative makers, the existing Lab-layer is the foundation for a rooftop landscape topped by residential towers. These distinctive layers are intertwined by public and collective spaces.

LAB: The commercial buildings' current plot sizes and structure will be preserved and transformed into spaces for social initiatives and combined working-living.

LAND: The rooftop park is a climate-adaptive buffer, with space for small-scale housing, collective innovation, and recreation.

CITY: The residential layer accommodates eight mid-rise urban blocks, which are configured for owner-occupied and rental housing, as well as collective forms of living.

Integral design team: ECHO Urban Design, ORANGE architects, MORE architecture, Studio Nauta, MoedersheimMoonen Architects