Cepezed celebrate completion of new main entrance to Tinbergen building

The upgrade designed by Tenderstream member cepezed for the new main entrance to the iconic brutalist Tinbergen Building in Rotterdam is complete, creating a spacious cathedral-like hall with increased daylight and intriguing sightlines. The building was constructed between 1963 and 1970 to house the Erasmus university school of economics, with the original design by Cornelis Elffers still exuding the atmosphere of brutalist functionalism. The current modernisation is intended to accommodate changing uses, while retaining the design’s original qualities.

The building features an ingenious base consisting of a three-layer table construction in fair-faced concrete, topped by seventeen identical floors. One entrance faces the street, which is lower than the other entrance that opens onto a square. Precision breakthroughs proposed by cepezed create diagonal sightlines, reinforcing the dynamism inherent in the two entrances.

The concrete remains visible, including the formwork pattern, which accentuates Tinbergen's brutalist character. The renovation and restoration of elements such as the honeycomb canopy are complemented with modernisation, sustainability improvements, improved routing, and a new floor. Cut-outs in the floor create a void, allowing for a staircase to connect the two entrance levels. 

Original glass building blocks in the roof above the new void were previously covered up, and are now being replaced by clear glass. The entrance hall will clearly define the building's appearance on the street outside, while the façade on the square will also allow more light to enter through the holes in the honeycomb canopy and the triangular bay windows from Elffers' design. The increase in light is already noticeable, now that the cut-outs are in place.

cepezed is  working on the Tinbergen Building in collaboration with Erasmus University Rotterdam, cepezedinterieur, IMD Raadgevende ingenieurs (structural engineering), Nelissen ingenieursbureau (installations), DGMR (building physics & sustainability), Ryse (project management) and Berghege Heerkens bouwgroep. Completion is scheduled for mid-2027.

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

This tender was first published by Tenderstream on 14.03.2016 here

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