Loading...
2024 IID 🏆 Awards

Gold Winner | Zadkine Benthemplein | Atelier van Berlo

On behalf of the educational institute Zadkine, Atelier van Berlo has realized a new design for the reorganization of the main location at Benthemplein, right in the center of Rotterdam. The location required restructuring of the building to better accommodate practical classes, including Healthcare, Welbeing and Sports, Business College, Beauty & Fashion, and HTFB (Hospitality, Travel & Leisure, Facility Services, and Bakery & Pastry).

International Interior Design Awards 2025: Entries Open! 
Take your work to the next level. Register Now… 

Gold 🏆 Winner
International Interior Design Awards 2024

Zadkine Benthemplein
Public Building Interior Built

Firm
Atelier van Berlo

Designer
Janne van Berlo

Design Team
Janne van Berlo, Marleen Delfos, Tiemen Anema, Emiel van der Vlies

Location
Rotterdam

Country
The Netherlands

Photographer/Copyright
Atelier van Berlo

On the ground floor, it was essential for each college to have a practical space to showcase their education. By removing and relocating the restroom block and the

former hairdressing counter, we created a ‘practical education street’ with a seamless connection between the entrances on Benthemplein (main entrance) and Teilingerstraat (new entrance).

The uniform wooden display cabinet serves as a ‘carrier’ to highlight practical education and provides space for students and teachers to showcase work and examples. This has created an ideal opportunity for passersby to get a good sense of what’s happening in the building and what the students are working on. Visitors from the surrounding neighborhood are also welcome to use the passage and gain insight into the daily school practice.

The Street

The front desk is now a recognizable element and together with the counter at Teilingerstraat (beauty point), they serve as prominent points of contact. ‘The street’ acts as an ideal meeting space and offers opportunities for various education-related activities such as open days, diploma ceremonies, exhibitions, and activities for visitors from the neighborhood. In addition to functional improvement, it was also chosen to generate more energy and vibrancy through color and material. The heavy concrete skeleton, together with the plywood cabinet wall, forms the basis and is contrasted by bright color accents in three accents. This color methodology is applied throughout the whole building and serves as conscious and subconscious points of recognition for usage.

The Upper Floors Apart from the ground floor, the goal was to make the upper floors future-proof with a flexible workspace concept. Through workshops, users could share their input, resulting in the addition of multi-functional classrooms, meeting spaces, teamwork and study spaces, and seating areas from the 1st to the 8th floor. Previously the long corridors on the floors had no seating areas and formed lifeless intermediate areas where you only pass through. By introducing a variety of ‘intermediate spaces’ (types A, B, C & D), liveliness and social interaction have been promoted. Furthermore, these interventions contribute to the overall educational experience and the functional possibilities of teaching. As a result, the design created a beautiful and dynamic learning environment where the corridor has truly become part of the education.