MVRDV Designs Convention Centre with a Green Roof in Utrecht

MVRDV have released the design for a new, green roof topped Jaarbeurs venue, along with a masterplan for the surrounding neighbourhood. With a focus on sustainability and quality of life, the new venue represents a major change for an area currently dominated by logistics, cars, and parking spaces. Jaarbeurs, an exhibition and convention centre in Utrecht, came to MVRDV with a challenging question: how do you design a green, sustainable, and innovative venue while giving the surrounding neighbourhood an important boost? After a two-year process, the two companies are now launching their plan for a 120,000 m2 venue on the existing Jaarbeurs site to the west of Utrecht’s central station, forming the beating heart of a larger 600,000 m2 masterplan to transform the under-utilised area at the station’s rear.

The new Jaarbeurs will be a sustainable building that opens in all directions, with an accessible green roof that will descend to ground level via cascading terraces. On this green roof, a rooftop park is proposed, where it is hoped that a carpet of programmable ‘squares’ and gardens will offer space for urban nature, events, recreation, water storage, and energy generation. The rooftop of the new Jaarbeurs thus becomes an oasis in the city.

Alongside its event halls, the ground floor of Jaarbeurs will also feature functions such as hospitality, shops, and offices. A car-free street, the Jaarbeurs Boulevard, cuts through the site, serving as the neighbourhood’s backbone. This boulevard will not only provide access to the Jaarbeurs venue, but also form a key route connecting the station to the areas beyond, including the Merwede Canal, which will be transformed into a vibrant waterfront area with restaurants and terraces. Here, residents of Utrecht, visitors to the Jaarbeurs, and tourists visiting the city will be able to enjoy a drink in the sun. Complementing this focus on quality of life is the project’s sustainability strategy, with the design pursuing BREEAM-Excellent certification.

Source : Strategic Research Institute, SteelGuru