Markthal

MVRDV

Rotterdam, Ds. Jan Scharpstraat 298

2004 – 2014

Markthal

When a law was voted in 2009 that prohibited fresh fish, meat and cheese being sold outdoors in the future; a solution was sought in Rotterdam. This was found in a new covered market hall with 126 apartments around it and 1200 underground parking spaces. Each apartment has an outdoor space and several also overlook the market hall itself, through odor-proof windows. In the market hall you will find 96 stalls, 20 shops and restaurants and a supermarket. The restaurants and shops are open longer and can also be reached from the outside. If you want to know what tastes you can experience, you can visit the markthal site.

Archeology

This area was already inhabited in 1270 and many archaeological object were found during construction. The construction site was also a piece of technology, you can read more about it here (in Dutch).

MVRDV

MVRDV was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. Their names determined the name of their architectural firm in Rottedam: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. They do not see the Markthal as a building, but as a city in itself. They try to combine many functions in their designs and also look for solutions to urban problems. For example, they have developed the Pig Farm, where pigs are raised in the high towers, with more room for the animals and no large footprint.

The first idea of Winy Maas was a cathedral, a hall with a greater height than other market halls. The first design was a normal roof, but then not all apartments had a clear view. This is how the idea of the arc originated. There was then the problem of the lifts, because they do go straight up.

Largest artwork in the world

Metal plates with the image of the Horn of Plenty hang on the inside of the hall. It is the largest work of art in the world with a size of 12,000 m², as large as two football pitches. You see fruits, butterflies and mushrooms; all products that you can buy on the market. The adjacent Laurenskerk can also be recognized in the image. The artist Arno Coenen puts it:

You feel like an insect when you stand under it.

Because it is such a large image, the image was handled by Pixar. There are only a few computers in the world that can handle this size of image. The artist would also like to project moving images onto the walls. He found inspiration for the image at the Sistine Chapel. If you like the image, you can also wear it as a shoe. In honor of the opening, shoes with the Horn of Plenty were released.