Groundwork at SAWA has started! The top layer of earth has been excavated to make room for the foundation. This soil is not just being disposed; at the construction site, ten bigbags have been filled to the brim. This fertile soil will be temporarily stored and reused for SAWA’s brown roof, where it will contribute to enhancing biodiversity. In this way, SAWA contributes to a healthy living environment for people and animals.
Rich soil
The soil on which SAWA is built is full of roots and seeds of plants that were already there or have spontaneously arrived. By preserving the top few inches of earth from the construction site, the seeds in it are saved. Once SAWA is completed, this earth will be mixed with recycled gravel and placed back on the roof of the low-rise volume, allowing the native plants to grow there. This brown roof will improve the neighbourhood’s biodiversity so that, among other things, the black redstart, a frequently spotted guest in the Lloyd Quarter, will continue to visit SAWA.
Nature-inclusive
Storing the soil to be recycled is the first visible act in the run-up to the construction of the ‘Healthiest building in the Netherlands’. SAWA is a unique and circular 50-metre-high wooden residential building, 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.
The official start of construction will follow next month. SAWA is being developed by Nice Developers and ERA Contour. Mei architects and planners is responsible for the design.
