Smart renovation to interlinking of halls

For the city of Rotterdam and Ahoy Rotterdam, we supervised the renovation of the exhibition center of Ahoy. We represented Ahoy in the design team and checked the quality of the development  plans.

 

With the smart use of limited resources, we made a plan to interlink halls with a high level of flexibility and multifunctionality. This applies to both technical and climate control features. The halls are now future-proof.

The exhibition halls 2 till 6 of Ahoy were built for fairs in the seventies. Nowadays, they’re also being used for concerts, VIP areas, and other events. With this development, Ahoy realized that the functionality of the halls was out of date. The renovation is part of the expansion of Ahoy including the new international congress center and concert venue.

OUR ROLE:

  • Program of Requirements
  • Managing design and build on behalf of the user
  • Aftercare after delivery
In the 1970s, five exhibition halls were built in connection with the Sportpaleis. From the start, these exhibition halls were well used for - for example - fairs, but also church singing evenings and the children's event Jeugdvakantieland where every slightly older person from Rotterdam has ever been.
THE RIGHT ANGLE

Smartly interlinking spaces

There was a lot to gain with the smart interlinking of halls. This would enable us to create flexible spaces for specific use cases. A welcome side-effect was the prevention of complete and costly replacement of halls. The configuration turned out to be very flexible in use, and many events can be hosted at the same time. And that same space can also be used to create a massive exhibition floor of 23.000 sqm.

Pro in process

The linchpin

After we had created the Program of Requirements, we managed the design and build process of the halls on behalf of Ahoy. In doing so we supplied input from all specialist disciplines in Rotterdam Ahoy to the developer. We ensured quality testing of the developer’s plans and made adjustments where necessary

The unthinkable thinkable

A tailored execution of a rough plan

The complexity was in the balance between high ambition with a limited budget and only a rough plan. The contract between the city and the developer was based on a sketch design of the developer. It left a lot of room for interpretation of the actual scope of the project.

 

In close cooperation, we eventually managed to create halls of international standards. The key was to convert the rough plan into a good and detailed design. It resulted in a tailor-made plan that gives Rotterdam Ahoy spaces for decades to come.

 

Facts

  • Part of public-private area development
  • Area: 23.000 sqm.
  • Investment sum: € 20M

Do you want to know how we can help you? Let's meet.

Richard van Bladel