Europe’s largest floating neighbourhood could rise over a disused dock after Rotterdam planners gave a new master plan its “initial support.” Wood Central understands that the project, which will see 100 modular and demountable apartments and townhouses built out of cross-laminated timber, is key to not only reactivating the Spoorweghaven dock but will ultimately help ease the squeeze in one of Europe’s tightest housing markets.
“The project fits critically into the housing crisis in the Netherlands, where the government has set a target of building around one million new homes by 2030,” according to MAST, the Danish architectural studio that worked with developer BIK Bouw to present the scheme to officials:
“In this scenario, the redevelopment of unused water areas offers an alternative to densification on land. For MAST, floating communities represent a new urban typology: flexible, scalable and able to adapt to climate change and contemporary settlement needs.”
The master plan—presented to city officials last week—shows buildings lined up along floating platforms arranged along the basin and connected by an interconnecting walkway. According to MAST, the development “does not resist the water, but rises with it.” In addition, the district, which will see Scottish ecological engineer Biomatrix install 900 square metres of floating reedbeds around the buildings, connects all sides of the city via bicycle, pedestrian, and boat— including a ‘blue ribbon’ passage offering direct access to flats and public spaces.
Rotterdam is one of the more timber-friendly cities in Europe.
Last year, Wood Central revealed that officials and developers in the Netherlands’ second-largest city were turning to lightweight and fully demountable cross-laminated timber to help tackle its housing crisis. That includes a 12-storey, 40-metre-high 82-unit social housing project in Pendrecht, a suburb fully rebuilt after the Second World War.
Known as “Valckensteyn,” the fully circular, adhesive-free building will sit atop the site of a residential flat bearing the same name. According to Stefan Prins, the project’s lead architect, the design aims to “showcase the harmony of concrete stability and wooden innovation—where sustainability meets affordability.”
In recent years, the Netherlands has emerged as one of Europe’s tightest housing markets – especially in the major centres of Amsterdam and Rotterdam – with the social housing waiting list reaching 15 years in both cities: “The crisis is attributed to factors such as lack of coordination, poor governance of social housing providers, and absence of a human rights approach to housing,” according to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner.
