The Unilever office building in Rotterdam is made of glass and steel and has been built over a historic factory.
The building De Brug (or The Bridge in English) lives up to its name, because it has been built like a bridge over an existing historical factory from 1891. The building that was designed by architect Chris de Jonge serves as headquarters of the multinational Unilever Bestfoods.
The bridge is just four storeys high, but up to 130 meters long and 33 meters wide. If the building would stand upright, it would belong to the tallest buildings in Rotterdam The building is made of steel and glass and hovering 25 meters above the ground which makes it a striking appearance. When you arrive in Rotterdam and drive with your car at the Maasboulevard it’s is one of the buildings that immediately strikes you.
The design of De Brug building is a very efficient way to use the limited space of the existing factory. During the construction between 2002 and 2005 the plant operations continued 24 hours a day and the existing plant was kept intact. This was made possible by building De Brug at a nearby site and moving it with electric lifts to its final destination when the construction was finished.
Because De Brug was built over the historic factory from 1891 a striking contrast between historic and modern architecture has been created.
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