Renovation national monument De Lijnbaan Renovation of post-war national monument and shop-

ping area De Lijnbaan

1st prize architect selection 2014

client:
Eigenarenvereniging Lijnbaan
construction:
J.P. van Eesteren
structural engineer:
Pieters Bouwtechniek
cultural-historical research:
SteenhuisMeurs
team Mei:
Robert Winkel, Menno van der Woude, Roy Wijte,
Ruben Aalbersberg, Kasia Domachovska
status:
realization phase 1: summer 2018

De Lijnbaan is world famous as the first car free

shopping promenade, designed in the Rotterdam
reconstruction period by Van den Broek & Bakema.
De Lijnbaan was designed as an exclusive shopping
area with 70 luxury shops. In 2010, De Lijnbaan
ensemble was designated as a national monument. Mei
architects and planners won the architect selection for
the renewal of De Lijnbaan in 2014. Mei is very proud
to be able to renovate this symbol of reconstruction
and to restore the original high quality and 50s look
in approximately 800 meters of Lijnbaan shopping
promenade. De Lijnbaan will again be an area for
shopping and staying. The renovation started in May
2018.
existing situation

new situation Lijnbaan as living room

De Lijnbaan 1955

Livingroom feeling
The canopies that interconnect the shop premises
are the most characteristic part of the design for De
Lijnbaan by the architects Van den Broek & Bakema.
Together with the ‘crossing canopies’ they connect the
shopping area and frame the public space, creating
a pleasant outdoor space, like a living room in the
city. Ever since its construction in 1953, more and
more has changed and the unity in the ensemble has
disappeared. With the design of Mei architects and
planners, the living room feeling will return on De
Lijnbaan. Elements that have been added in a later
stadium are being removed, the old canopies will be
restored and with the use of wood and warm materials,
the original quality will return. Mei has already
successfully renovated several retail properties on De
Lijnbaan, such as Lijnbaan 102 and Lijnbaan 77, on the
corner with the Aert van Nesstraat. By using natural
materials, ‘warm’ concrete and a lot of glass, Mei has
beautifully restored the original character of the high-
quality post-war architecture of these stores.
 Lijnbaan 102 (renovated by Mei)

Lijnbaan 77 (renovated by Mei in 2014)

section - existing situation

situation overview with marked canopies section - new situation

Renovation in detail
Mei started the design process with extensive
research and mapping all existing façades. At some
buildings, the original wooden ceiling parts were
still present. They have been restored and will not be
replaced. The attentive passerby will be able to notice
the differences between the cherished monumental
wooden parts and the new wooden parts.
The glass canopies that were added around 1996 will be
removed during this renovation. The original canopies
are being repaired and the ceilings and fronts will be
covered with sustainable Accoya wood. To limit the
inconvenience for the shopkeepers, the wood is applied
as prefabricated panels. The low-maintenance coating
has already been applied in the carpentry factory.
Mock-up
The plans for the renovation have been realized
in close collaboration with the property owners,
retailers, municipality, contractor, the Council for
Cultural Heritage and the Rotterdam Commission for
Monuments. Under the supervision of Mei, a mock-up
was built in spring 2018 at the corner building Lijnbaan
76 and the adjacent building Lijnbaan 78. At this test
location, a renovated canopy (Lijnbaan 76) and an
original canopy with monumental elements (Lijnbaan
78) came together. In the mock-up, the detailing of the
roof edge and the wooden canopy covering has been
extensively tested and evaluated. After approval of
all those involved, all façades between the Aert van
Nesstraat and Van Oldenbarneveldtplaats could then
be installed one after another.

The storey façades, designed on a characteristic fixed

grid of 1.10 meters, are also being renewed. Here, the
existing vertical concrete elements are cleaned and
restored, and those who are missing are returned.
For this purpose, a special ‘set-up’ element has been
developed from composite concrete. The cladding
between the elements can vary, as in the original
design.

The niche between canopies and the continuous

façade beam at the level of the first floor is also an
important element in the design of De Lijnbaan. The
concrete façade beam is restored by cleaning it,
removing paint and repairing concrete damage. The
niche is also carefully repaired over the entire length
and provided with gauze as pigeon protection to
prevent pollution in the future.

block A East façade

block B West façade