Academic work
Making Pathé Rotterdam Sustainable
Retrofitting the cinema with reclaimed materials
To make Pathé Schouwburgplein fully sustainable and fit for 2035, the design introduces an advanced climate system running on renewable energy: a roof covered in solar panels, a heat-harvesting façade and seasonal thermal storage with a heat exchanger, underfloor heating, and pre-heating and pre-cooling using ground temperature.
The existing timber façade structure is reused as an external louvre system providing solar shading in front of a new, highly insulated double-glazed curtain wall. The visual relationship with the square is preserved, the foyer becomes lighter, and the original image of architect Koen van Velsen's 'floating auditoria' remains intact.