The commencement of construction of De Rotterdam by OMA

Description of towers from left: New Orleans (Siza), KPN Telecom Tower (Piano), De Rotterdam (OMA), Montevideo (Mecanoo), Baltimore (Foster), World Port Centre (Foster).

After long twelve years since the project's first presentation in 1997, construction can begin on the largest building in the Netherlands. A ceremonial groundbreaking for Koolhaas's 'vertical city' is scheduled for Monday, December 14, 2009. The massive cluster of several high-rise buildings bears the same name as the city where it stands - 'de Rotterdam'. The name also comes from the steamer that docked in the Wilhelminapier harbor right next to the construction site, from where thousands of Dutch people set sail across the ocean. The new complex designed by Koolhaas resembles a condensed section of Manhattan, which was the first Dutch colony in the New World. The structure consists of three interconnected towers: the first tower is for housing, the second for offices, and the base of the third tower houses a hotel (with housing again on top).
In the high plinth from which the individual blocks of the towers rise, there will be conference rooms, a fitness center, shops, restaurants, and cafes. The plinth serves as a semi-public meeting place and a connector between the various functions of the building. A large entrance hall on the ground floor further supports this function.
The one hundred fifty-meter high building, with an area of 160,000 square meters, will cost 349 million Euros. After prolonged preparations, the subsequent implementation should proceed quickly, with the project completed in 2013.