Rotterdamse Stijl

Street furniture ‘Rotterdamse Stijl’

Municipality of Rotterdam

Vision for public spaces: Rotterdamse Stijl

The Rotterdam City Council and npk design have together taken up the challenge of drawing up a plan for redesigning public spaces throughout the city. The starting point of the plan is to make Rotterdam a nicer place in which to live, work, and enjoy leisure activities – to create an attractive environment that is pleasant from both a visual and practical point of view.

Based on the starting points for the Rotterdamse Stijl, a vision has been developed for the street furniture – robust, clear and with human dimensions. This underlines the no-nonsense mentality of the city.

“Public space is the factor that links architecture, people, and mobility. It is the glue between housing, work, and leisure. A clear vision for public space ultimately determines the quality of life in the urban environment. Green, clean, safe, and multifunctional are notions that appeal to people. Consistency in design, detailed structures that people feel comfortable with, and a clear programme of activities form the basis for successful solutions.”
Wolfram Peters
Former partner npk design

‘Rotterdamse Stijl’ street furniture

Once the Rotterdamse Stijl vision was clear to all the parties involved, we developed it into a street furniture toolkit. This offers designers and managers a selection of materials and basic starting points for the design of public spaces, which emphasise the long lines that are so typical of Rotterdam. Spaces in the form of squares and parks are to be created on the long lines (the streets), as well as between and alongside them – space for interaction, warmth, and human dimensions. The handbook stands for a clear, no-nonsense and high-quality family of street furniture and street materials that enhance the identity and the profile of the outdoor spaces in Rotterdam.

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Models and prototypes

We believe that prototyping is greatly important in the case of public space projects too. Our model workshop therefore plays an essential part in the Rotterdamse Stijl project. In order to give the decision-makers and parties involved a good picture of our designs, we have made maquettes. This will strengthen the discussions on the design of various areas and the consistency of the designs.