Markthal Rotterdam

An architectural rethink of the food market

Located in the center of Rotterdam, Markthal is the first covered food market of the Netherlands. Each of the 228 apartments has a view either towards the historic Laurenskwartier, and towards the market through windows or a glass floor made of sound and smell proof triple glazing. The open sides of the Markthal closed to prevent rain and cold from entering, was designed to be as transparent as possible by opting for a single glazed cable net façade. The mural ‘Cornucopia’ by artists Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam has a surface of 11.000 m². ‘Cornucopia’ shows oversized images of market produce available at the market, while the flowers and insects refer to the work of Dutch still life masters from the 17th century. The image was printed onto perforated aluminum panels, and then attached to acoustic panels for noise control.