The healthiest building in the Netherlands
Commissioned by Nice Developers & Era Contour, Mei architects and planners is designing “SAWA”.
SAWA is a unique and circular wooden residential building of 50 meters high, adding value to the neighbourhood and the city in the broadest sense. These “shared values” relate to CO2 reduction, enhancing biodiversity and creating a circular building with affordable housing for an inclusive community.
Project info
Status
Completed in July 2025
Clients
Nice Developers, ERA Contour
Programme
109 apartments: 50 mid-rent, 20 private sector rental, 39 owner-occupies apartments
Restaurant and social facilities
Size
12.000 m2 GFA
Revolutionary concept
SAWA’s exceptional feature is that the building is constructed entirely of CLT (cross laminated timber), whereby the use of concrete is kept to a minimum. This makes SAWA the first fully tall wooden residential building in Rotterdam. The building is distinctive in its appearance due to the generous green terraces, which refer to the history of the location and at the same time reinforce the biodiversity in the neighbourhood.
The conviction and drive of both client and architect to not only design but also realise a revolutionary concept like SAWA is nourished by the ambition to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and the achievement of (inter)national climate goals on the one hand, and to create affordable housing at the same time.
“SAWA, also known as the ‘healthiest building in the Netherlands’, is thus a model project for new generations, an important step in the sustainability goals and demonstrable proof that things can be done differently.”
Lloydkwartier
The Lloydkwartier has a rich maritime history dating back to the early twentieth century. The Lloydpier derives its name from the Rotterdamsche Lloyd, which built a terminal here for passenger ships traveling to Asia and Africa. For decades, the quay formed an important hub for international shipping and trade. The name SAWA is derived from the building’s stepped form and refers to eastern rice fields, as a subtle nod to this history. In this way, the design connects past and future: the layered character of the site is translated into a contemporary architecture in which greenery, housing, and urban life come together.
The Lloydpier has grown into one of the most water-rich and characterful areas of Rotterdam city center. The district is characterized by a diversity of architecture: transformed warehouses and harbor monuments are interspersed with distinctive new developments. Thanks to its waterfront location, its proximity to the city center and Het Park, and a growing range of cultural and culinary amenities, the Lloydkwartier has developed in recent years from an industrial port area into a popular residential neighborhood. SAWA forms part of this transformation and contributes to the further densification and greening of the area.
Shared values
SAWA has been developed in the heart of the Lloydkwartier district. Thanks to this location, the various meeting spaces that have been designed, and the connection to existing local initiatives, SAWA adds value to the entire neighborhood. Several facilities have been made available to residents in the building’s plinth. The deck serves as a green link between the building and the surrounding greenery (such as the community garden) and will be of added value to both residents and neighbors.
The apartments are accessed via a gallery corridor. Although galleries are still often labeled as unpopular by, among others, real estate agents, Mei strongly supports this typology and deliberately chose this form of access to encourage interaction among residents. The success of this design choice has already been demonstrated in many other Mei projects, such as Fenix I. The residential building SAWA distinguishes itself through various shared functions, such as shared mobility, DIY equipment, and a vegetable garden, actively fostering a sense of community.
Core values of SAWA
SAWA’s design is based on four key core values: CO2 reduction, enhancing biodiversity, and creating a circular building with affordable housing for an inclusive community:
CO2 reduction
SAWA was developed from the conviction that the construction sector must fundamentally contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions — not through marginal optimizations, but by changing the building system itself.
The main load-bearing structure of SAWA is largely executed in Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam). At a height of 50 meters and 15 floors, this application of timber is exceptional within Dutch residential construction. By applying timber as the primary structural material, a significant amount of CO₂ is stored long-term in the building. At the same time, the share of concrete and steel — traditionally the largest sources of emissions in high-rise construction — has been significantly reduced.
Applying timber at this scale required intensive collaboration with structural engineers, fire safety consultants, and international timber construction specialists. Innovations in fire safety, acoustics, vibration control, and detailing have been integrated into one coherent system. The strength of SAWA does not lie in a single technique, but in the combination of solutions that together enable a new standard.
Timber is also lighter than concrete, resulting in reduced foundation loads and more efficient material use. Prefabrication shortened construction time and reduced transport movements on site.
SAWA demonstrates that high-density urban housing with significantly lower environmental impact is achievable — without compromising safety, comfort, or architectural quality.
Circularity
SAWA has been developed according to the Open Building principle. The main load-bearing structure consists of an open grid of columns and beams, without load-bearing internal walls. This allows the apartments to be flexibly arranged and enables future layout changes without major structural interventions.
The floors are composed of CLT with a dry ballast layer on top instead of a traditional concrete compression layer. This makes the floor build-up demountable and increases the potential for material reuse. The structural elements are designed as separate components that can be disconnected and dismantled in the future.
By building with timber from sustainably managed production forests, not only have CO₂ emissions during construction been reduced, but a renewable raw material has also been chosen. For every tree felled, multiple trees have been replanted, embedding the material choice within a broader chain responsibility.
SAWA has also been designed with minimal building services installations. The ventilation system is CO₂-controlled and adjusted to actual use. The combination of district heating and PV panels on the roof and off-site contributes to energy-efficient operation.
Circularity in SAWA is not a sum of measures, but structurally integrated into design and construction. The open load-bearing structure, demountable floor system, and material choices are aimed at long technical lifespan, functional flexibility, and future redeployment of building components.
Biodiversity
The densification of Dutch cities is accompanied by a loss of habitat for plants and animals. Urban hardening, heat stress, and water overload put pressure on both the urban ecosystem and quality of life. SAWA has been designed as part of the Lloydkwartier’s urban ecosystem — a building that does not intensify this development, but rather counteracts it.
Instead of adding greenery as a finishing layer, biodiversity has been integrally incorporated into architecture and detailing. Spread across terraces, balconies, and the collective deck, approximately 600 linear meters of permanent planters are integrated into the building. The planting has been carefully selected based on sun orientation, height, and ecological value. Native species provide year-round food supply and support birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects. A total of 140 nesting facilities have been incorporated in and on the façades for species including swifts, bats, and various bird species. The so-called “brown roof” strengthens the ecological continuity of the site and increases the likelihood of spontaneous establishment of native vegetation.
Through these measures, SAWA connects to existing green structures in the district and contributes to cooling, water buffering, and a healthier living climate — for both humans and animals.
Inclusivity
SAWA comprises 109 apartments, ranging from approximately 50 to 170 m². The residential program includes owner-occupied homes, private-sector rentals, and 50 mid-market rental apartments. Mid-market housing therefore represents a substantial part of the total program.
This mix was an explicit starting point from the outset. In an inner-city context where affordability is under pressure, a conscious choice was made for a balanced distribution of housing types and price categories. As a result, SAWA accommodates different income groups within a single building.
NICE Developers, together with investor Focus on Impact, organized the allocation of the rental apartments themselves. Priority was deliberately given to people with socially essential professions and to those moving on from social housing. Of the 50 mid-market rental homes, 43 were allocated to households working in sectors such as healthcare, education, and public safety and/or leaving behind a social rental dwelling.
In this way, SAWA contributes not only to social mix within the building, but also to mobility within Rotterdam’s housing market. Social inclusivity is therefore embedded not only spatially and programmatically, but also concretely reflected in the way the building has been occupied. SAWA demonstrates that high urban density, architectural quality, and a substantial share of mid-market housing can be realized together within a viable business case.
Community
SAWA has been developed in the heart of the Lloydkwartier as part of the district, rather than as an autonomous residential block. The plinth contains amenities that contribute to the vibrancy of the neighborhood, while the collective deck on the first floor forms a green communal space for residents.
The apartments are accessed via galleries. This typology was deliberately chosen to encourage informal encounters and strengthen social cohesion. The gallery thus functions not only as circulation space, but as a transitional zone between private and collective realms.
In addition to the individual homes, several shared functions have been included, such as a communal vegetable garden, shared mobility, and shared workspace and tool facilities. These amenities enhance the sense of connection among residents, help counteract loneliness, and at the same time reduce individual space and material consumption.
By linking spatial organization, programming, and use, the social dimension is given a clear physical expression within the building.
“We build the city with love for the neighborhood and nature. Pioneering in a sustainable, nature-friendly and social way, we develop SAWA from and for the community. With SAWA, we are offering a gift to the city.”
Energy neutral
SAWA is a low-installation building, with a healthy indoor climate and possibilities for future adaptations. The houses are equipped with cross ventilation and temperature plus CO2 controlled ventilation valves in the facade.
SAWA is not only the healthiest building in the Netherlands, it is also energy-neutral. By using PV panels on the roofs in combination with “remote solar”, sustainable district heating and other sustainable measures, SAWA has achieved an EPC of 0. This makes SAWA as a building energy-neutral, both after realisation and during the construction process.
After completion, SAWA itself generates the energy it needs for the communal facilities. The solar panels on the roof power the lift, the lighting in the galleries and the electric cars and bicycles.
Scale model by Studio Faber
