Page 25 - March 2023 #179

Zuidplein
Rotterdam, Netherlands

designing in cooperation with two other Dutch firms Jora Vision (Leisure the BREEAM or LEED certification, de Vries feels there is more to it
Design) and Conceptional (F&B Design) a theme park name INKA park than this.
that will be the biggest theme park in South America upon completion,” “It is also about circularity, biodiversity, smart mobility, heat stress,
de Vries highlights. water and ‘everlasting design’. A building that will function for decades
Other large-scale new projects for the firm are a retail park named without major renovation is very sustainable.”
Kampus Istanbul and an inner city mixed-use project called Orion in Currently they are designing a harbour for electric boats and sailing
Corlu, both in Turkey. boats on the Zuidas in Amsterdam. This harbour will be an example of
While the business may be best known for designing shopping sustainability in a nature area, The Nieuwe Meer. Everything they are
centres, in recent years they have become specialists in transforming constructing there is made from CLT and is 100 per cent circular and
and redesigning shopping areas, particularly those built in the solar powered.
modernist movement. Rijswijk in its home country is a by-product of When discussing what the key strengths of TconcepT are and what
this. Originally a shopping centre of 60,000sq m GLA, the site has de Vries can put their ongoing success down to, he explains they
been transformed into a mixed-use complex through the addition of understand that a good design needs to add value across the board.
100,000sq m of housing. “We can do this because we are multidisciplinary and well-rehearsed
This has been done partly by reusing the concrete structures made in addressing the issues of today. We also understand the financial
originally for retail and turning them into housing. Willem-Joost explains restraint, all should be in balance.”
that new housing towers have been built around a park and new retail As our time with Willem-Joost comes to an end, he finishes our
has been introduced to strengthen the shopping loop. He goes onto say conversation on the topics of challenges and the future, saying that
that the site will become a strong centre, with social and private housing, the challenge moving forward is to make cities smart and healthy, to
leisure and public functions that are all viewable on newly created parks. make them knowledge centres, creative hubs, green spaces and most
Relationships are pivotal to any business and TconcepT has maintained of all, sustainable.
long-term relationships with many of their clients, leading to trust and “Population is growing and people are gravitating towards the cities.
even friendship. Their in-house architects consist of an eclectic mix of We as architects have an enormous task together with the stakeholders
nationalities, each with their own individual skill sets and de Vries points to create this new world. The future will be shaped by the decisions we
out that between them they speak some 12 languages, which helps them make now. Picture a city on a human scale where everyone is walking
understand the needs of their clients. and cycling or on electric mopeds, circular buildings, urban farms, pocket
This trust with clients allows the company to excel in the area of parks, zero energy buildings, solar and wind powered. We want to build
sustainability, as they are able to challenge their clients on the sustainable technologically smart cities where people feel safe and at home.”
ambition of any given project. Whilst the common way is by achieving www.tconcept.nl

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