Reuse of an old railroad in Rotterdam | paola oberto

The project area is located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands: it is an abandoned railroad which connected the northern and the southern part of the city in the past. The project is based on the use of PCMs (Phase Changing Materials) that, by melting and solidifying, absorb and release heat respectively, thus contributing to the thermal comfort. The amorphous 'boxes' located on the railway are made of wooden structures and panels containing paraffin. On the outside, a glazed skin supported by steel arches contributes to create a greenhouse effect and, consequently, an increase of temperature, necessary to reach the melting point of paraffin (26° C). The sinuous shape of the external skin and the inner boxes contrasts with the regular pattern of the surrounding city. The new functions aim to create a place with a social value in order to cope with the abandon and the decay that characterize the neighborhood.