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Erasmus Pavilion

De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company designed for the Erasmus University in Rotterdam a pavilion that delivers a clearer organisation of public space and creates an attractive setting in contrast with the existing Brutalist architecture.

From the 70’s, when the Woudestein campus was first built, Erasmus University development has occurred on an ad hoc basis, resulting in a cluttered, disorderly layout and little attention to traffic and pedestrian flows.

In 2010, the Executive Board launched a long-term master plan split up into three phases. One of the initial projects of phase two, which will run until 2016, was to build a new student pavilion to create a focal point where the two main pedestrian thoroughfares of the campus would meet.

The pavilion is strategically located at the centre of the campus and cuts into a slope, so that the building can be accessed on different levels. The square building (32.4×32.4 metres) is 6 metres high on the south side and 10 metres high on the north side. Although the square shaped design of the building looks relatively simple and straightforward, a lot of thought was given to its form, organisation and materials. At the core of the building is the theatre, with the foyer upstairs looking out onto the Erasmus Plaza. The Plaza is 400 metres long and incorporates a landscaped garden with an attractive fountain, bike racks and seating areas. The Plaza sits above the new underground car park.

The inner core of the pavilion, below the theatre, is constructed in concrete, whilst the rest of the structure is made of steel and the external shell of the whole building is glazed. The floor and stairs are covered with large light-grey tiles creating a seamless link up the curved staircase from the grand café to the upper level where the entrance and foyer of the theatre is located. The glazed walls invite passers-by to see and take part in the activities within. The curved ceilings made up of long slats of American red oak create continuity with buildings A and C, where the same wood specie was also chosen to renovate the large majority of the ceilings. The overhanging curved canopies create a warm, cosy protective atmosphere wherever you happen to be placed within the pavilion. The different functions have also been cleverly arranged to make the best use of sunlight so the study areas are located along the north façade, whilst the grand café area is situated to the south of the building.

From the pavilion visitors can look out towards the fountain through large glass bay windows that can be opened up in summer onto the adjacent terrace, which is nicely sheltered. Along the outside of the building’s glass walls, huge curved aluminium blinds hang down like the edges of a giant tablecloth. They operate by remote control and can open and close depending on the level of sunlight.

The pavilion’s high-energy efficiency performance is based on the principles of passive solar building design; the orientation specific solar shade system responds automatically to seasonal changes to make optimum use of sunlight. Furthermore thermal storage, under floor heating, passive cooling, LED lighting and solar panels, which cover 90% of the roof, make the Student Pavilion virtually energy-neutral.

De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company, Erasmus Pavilion, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Photo John Marshall Photography

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De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company, Erasmus Pavilion, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Ground floor plan

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De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company, Erasmus Pavilion, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Section

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De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company, Erasmus Pavilion, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Siteplan

Erasmus Pavilion, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Program: pavilion
Architects: De Zwarte Hond, Powerhouse Company
Area: 1800 sqm
Completion: August 2013