Ferro Offices

Space for makers and interaction
Ferro Offices is the new home for entrepreneurs who dare to innovate and want to collaboratively shape the future of the port, focusing on the themes of energy transition, new mobility and circularity.

On the ground floor, a double-height makerspace provides flexible space for working and production, complemented by an indoor bicycle parking facility to encourage sustainable mobility. The central staircase, together with a public plinth offering coffee and lunch facilities and a stepped seating area, forms the collective heart of the building —a place where maritime entrepreneurs come together.

Reuse as a starting point
The original office building has been completely stripped down to its structural frame, which serves as the foundation for the redevelopment. By preserving this existing structure, approximately 75% less CO₂ was emitted compared to complete new construction. Ferro Offices demonstrates how the reuse of existing buildings can be a powerful strategy for creating a more sustainable built environment.

Characteristic elements of the original building have been preserved and carefully restored, including the glass block façade elements and the monumental natural stone staircase with wooden handrails.

New architecture and identity
The transformation goes beyond reuse. The strength of the existing structure made it possible to add an additional floor without significant, material-intensive interventions. The south façade has been set back, creating terraces on the office floors that provide outdoor space—a rare quality in office buildings—and natural sun shading. A central atrium, featuring a sculptural staircase, opens up the building from within and draws daylight deep into its core, while marking the entrance facing the Ferro square. This intervention gives the building a new orientation and a contemporary identity within the robust industrial landscape of M4H.

Biobased and energy-efficient
Sustainability is at the core of the design. The façade is made of biobased materials with wooden louvers that limit solar heat gain and reduce the need for mechanical cooling. The building is fully gas-free, equipped with solar panels, complies with BENG standards, has an energy label A++++, and achieves BREEAM-NL Outstanding certification.

Showcase for the Rotterdam Makers District
Ferro Offices seamlessly aligns with the development of M4H, which together with RDM Rotterdam forms the Rotterdam Makers District. In this area, the municipality and the Port of Rotterdam are working towards a new urban ecosystem where living, working, learning and innovation converge. Together with knowledge institutions and students, companies are contributing to a future-proof port city: cleaner, smarter and globally connected.

With its thorough renovation and strong identity, Ferro Offices connects the industrial past of the port with the sustainable port industry of tomorrow, setting a new standard for innovation in the Rotterdam Makers District.