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The Royal Ballet School of Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Part 2 Project 2020
Sarah Waugh
University of Central Lancashire | UK
The Royal Ballet School of Rotterdam, The Netherlands (RBSR) is a bold, ambitious, ethereal building set on the River Maas. The school alluringly touches the water, a beacon for all to see, nestled adjacent to the main shipping canal near the peninsular of Katendrecht.

The RBSR is a world-class school for exceptional young students. With no preference from social and economic backgrounds, acceptance is based purely on talent and potential. It was designed from the inside-out following a long period of diligent research, behind the scenes site visits to world-class ballet schools and interviews with multiple teachers, pianists, architects and engineers. This design ethos enabled the brief to be exceeded from the very beginning of the project.

The floor plan, inspired by the ballet dancers tools also mimics the outside contours of the nearby peninsular. Once the studios, Wellness Zone | Medical Facilities and changing rooms were meticulously laid out, the central grand canyon was created and the envelope swiftly followed. The result is a unique undulating cross-braced steel ribbed frame, swathed in translucent glass and Linit panes. The envelope tantalisingly touches the ground, with the columns providing a nod to ballet in the form of a ballet shoe en-pointe.


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2020
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