Rotterdam’s Guardian SunGuard®-Clad Markthal Snars Architecture Prize

The spectacular, arched Markthal, or Market Hall, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, clearly impresses more than just those who shop or live there.  The 100,000-square-metre, mixed-use structure – which includes 228 apartments and some 100 fresh market produce stalls, a supermarket, restaurants, 1,200 parking spots, and more – recently took home the prestigious Rotterdam Architecture Award.

Designed by the Dutch architectural firm MVRDV, the structure’s exterior incorporates 10,000 square metres of Guardian SunGuard® SuperNeutral® 70/41 and Guardian ExtraClear® glass, in the apartment windows as well as elsewhere in the building. Germany’s Hero-Glas Veredelungs GmbH fabricated all the insulating glass units, and Dutch glazier AKS Bouw BV produced the façade.

“A secure, covered square emerges beneath an arc, conceived as an inversion of a typical market square and its surrounding buildings,” according to MVRDV’s website. “During the day it serves as central market hall, after hours the hall becomes an enormous, covered, well-lit public space” that remains lively due to the restaurants on the first floor.

The award itself is organised by AIR, the Rotterdam architecture centre, which says its goal is to raise the standard of architecture within the city and to create an identity for Rotterdam, by highlighting the cohesion of the urban fabric and the liveliness of the city.

The awards ceremony took place 16th of December 2015 in the Rotterdam City Hall. The MVRDV website cited the jury’s comment that the Markthal contributes great value to the house supply in Rotterdam, and allows individuals “to live with market functions, shops and restaurants in a festive, multifunctional space with undisputed iconic value. It is an asset for the city.”

Build for developer Provast Nederland BV, the structure is a fully integrated, sustainable combination of food, leisure, living and parking in the new inner-city heart of the Laurens Quarter, the original pre-war centre of Rotterdam.

Guardian SunGuard SN 70/41 glass offers excellent selectivity – very high natural-light transmission along with solar heat gain. Its multifunctional coating reduces the need for artificial light and offers excellent solar protection combined with outstanding thermal insulation.

For more information, go to: www.eu.en.sunguardglass.com or contact your local Guardian representative.

About Guardian Industries Corp.:

Guardian is a diversified global manufacturing company headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with leading positions in float glass and fabricated glass products for commercial, residential and transportation applications; automotive trim; and the distribution of building products. Through its research and development centers (Science & Technology Center for glass and Advanced Development Center for automotive), Guardian is at the forefront of innovation. Its automotive trim group, SRG Global, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of advanced, high value coatings on plastics. Guardian, its subsidiaries and affiliates employ 17,000 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Visit www.guardian.com.