A large part of the territory of the Netherlands is below sea level. Given that climate change is becoming more and more important and especially the rising sea level. The city of Rotterdam has begun to develop innovative and sustainable projects. The Floating Pavilion project was designed to reduce CO2 emissions and reduce energy consumption. Also, the pavilion became the symbol of the port of Rijnhaven where it is currently located. This pavilion is just a prototype and the goal of the city is to build a whole settlement of floating homes.
Floating Pavilion consists of three interconnected balls that strongly resemble bubbles. The diameter is 18.5, 20 and 24 meters. It is made of PTFE plastic, which allows this unusual shape. It is 100 times lighter than glass, so it is ideal for a floating structure. Also, the foundations of the pavilion are very interesting. It is made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) in combination with the concrete beam grid. This foundation allows the pavilion to be transported to any place. The pavilion was designed by Deltasync and PublicDomain Architects.
Interior of Floating Pavilion
The interior of the pavilion is extremely bright and is used for various events and conferences. Especially when it comes to topics such as innovation, sustainability, purity, or the future, this is a unique and perfect location. Unfortunately, the pavilion is not open to the public at this time. Since I lived only a few hundred meters away from it, I often saw it during the night in different colors. Especially then, the pavilion is perfect for photographing.
In the world today we don’t have many examples of the architecture of architecture buildings on the water. This project is a perfect opportunity to learn more about it. Also, it is not only useful for architects and builders, but also the city government on how to legalize such objects. This project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union.
Find out more information about Floating Pavilion on:
- Archdaily
- Inside Flows website
- Drijvend Paviljoen – Rotterdam info
