GROUP A: BP rotterdam refinery

'BP rotterdam refinery' by group A in europort, the netherlands
all images courtesy group A


dutch architecture practice GROUP A has completed 'BP rotterdam refinery', a multi-storey office complex
in europort, the netherlands. partially inserted into the man-made dunes of the site, the design rises out of
the ground with a continuous green roof that merges the building with the surrounding landscape.



within context


located within the transitional zone between the industrial landscape of refineries and the lush green and
wetlands of the brielsemmer, the project was approached as an architectural intervention that could highlight
and strengthen the potential of the site. the north end of the curving building emerges out of the landscape
while the south end becomes clearly visible from the nearby suurhoff bridge and hartel canal. in response to
the solar orientation, the arching facade gradually changes from transparent to opaque, preventing overheating
for the interior microclimate while maintaining a level of natural daylight. the concave form of the volume
also provides an efficient form of access to the office complex.



entrance of employees



approach



curved facade


composed of two wings of office space, the interior is divided by an elongated atrium that seeks to
promote open communication as well as a sense of connection between employees. the proportions and
dimensions of the space undulate along the cut edge of the dune. meeting rooms are rendered as 'sky-boxes',
a series of box-shaped volumes that are pushed into the open volume of the atrium. the surface treatment
references natural geological layers with timber slats of different size and colours.



interior view of atrium



bridge between wings



meeting space by atrium



'skybox'



view into atrium from meeting room



at night



site




floor plan / level 0



floor plan / level +1



floor plan / level +2



floor plan / level +3


longitudinal section



cross section


project info:

client: BP rotterdam refinery
gross floor area: 10,600 m2
net floor area: 9,370 m2
gross volume: 52,370 m3

project team: folkert van hagen, adam visser, maarten van bremen, edwin larkens,
ramon wijsman, paul geurts, roy grob, chris woltjes, brigitte v/d tuin, birgitta rottmann,
birte muller, andrea gianotti, anne derksen, sander peter schuur, sara rojo, gador luque,
luna solas, paulo moreno
structural engineer: IOB, hellevoetsluis
M & E consultant: a. de jong group, schiedam
acoustics consultant: cauberg huygen rotterdam
contractor: cordeel nederland, dordrecht