100 years of architecture in Rotterdam

2010: New Orleans

Alvaro Siza

On the Wilhelminapier, next door to Hotel New York, where once the Holland-Amerika line had its head quarters, the tallest (160m) residential building in the country has been added. Its name New Orleans  emphasises the cosmopolitan role this part of town has played for the city and the country. It also refers to a warehouse that once stood here and was known by the same name. That cosmopolitan role is a thing that the city planners aim to reclaim. Hotel New York was a first step. Other neighbours are the Cruise Terminal, the Luxor Theater, Montevideo building and  Las Palmas, housing the National Photo Museum. Ohter residential towers will follow with resounding names like Baltimore, San Francisco en Havanna (also erstwhile warehouses) and Rotterdam.

The building holds 234 appartements ranging from 65 to 212m². Among them privately owned appartments, rentals and "serviced appartments". This last category refers to furnished apartments for temporary residents with a wide range of services. All residents can make use of the gym, pool and guest rooms.

The New Orleans is a square tower wich tapers a bit towards the upper floors. Each floor has 4 appartments, the top floors only two or one. The facade is covered with marble expressing the high quality of the building. All appartments have loggia for a balcony. Origianlly the plan contained two towers placed on base with a communal space in between. For developmental and urbanist reasons this was abandoned. The proximity to the Montevideo building was one. Siza has ended the building's western end very abruptly on purpose. The base is four floors high on top of which a recreational space was laid out including a swimming pool (in and outdoors). The base itself holds an art house cinema theatre and a multifunctional hall. The theatre construction in side the building is not constructively connected to the building, so if the cinema turns out a failure it can easibly be removed. The theatre has initially signed a 5 year lease with the owner. The theatre's interior design is by the Rotterdam bureau M2R.