NICE Tower
The world faces immense challenges: temperature rise must be slowed, and to achieve this, CO2-emissions are drastically reduced. With the Paris Climate Agreement, the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we have made clear commitments. Nevertheless, we are still building primarily with concrete and steel, materials that contribute greatly to CO2-emissions.
We also see a growing housing crisis with a lack of affordable housing, increasing loneliness among city dwellers and a frightening decline in biodiversity. We, NICE Developers, we believe things can and should be different. We choose a future in which sustainability, circularity and society are central.
Moreover, we are facing a period of material scarcity, which calls for a radical revision of our building methods. We must reuse materials as much as possible and opt for regenerative, reusable materials and circular building techniques, in order to continue building responsibly now and in the future.
Five years ago we started SAWA, the first circular wooden residential building in Europe. SAWA serves as a prototype and inspiration for a new, sustainable standard. Now we continue with the NICE Tower, proving that circular high-rise buildings are also possible, even on a large scale.
Introducing the NICE Tower
The NICE Tower, with an impressive height of 140 meters high and constructed entirely of wood, is the next step in the revolution of circular wooden high-rise buildings. The tower derives its stability from the wooden braces in the façade and the wooden elevator core, is completely biobased and free of concrete from the first floor to the elevator core and supporting structure. As a result, the CO2-emissions drastically reduced compared to traditional concrete buildings and helps combat global warming.
The scarcity of building land and growing demand for urban housing requires smart solutions and extra attention to housing quality. High-rise buildings offer an effective answer to the lack of space in inner-city areas and are both financially and in terms of CO2-emissions efficiently as it utilizes existing urban infrastructure. With a diverse, inclusive residential program and its stepped form with communal roof terraces, the NICE Tower provides space for meeting and connection. With its nature-inclusive design, the tower connects to ecological structures and promotes biodiversity in the city.
With a height of 140 meters, a groundbreaking achievement, NICE proves that sustainable, innovative and social construction is possible on this scale. The NICE Tower takes timber construction to a whole new level and demonstrates that timber construction can rise to unprecedented heights.
NICE: Circular timber construction, biodiversity and affordable housing
NICE Developers is a progressive developer focused on circular timber construction, biodiversity and affordable housing. Founded five years ago by Mark Compeer and Robert Winkel, the company has experienced impressive growth in a relatively short time. What began as a small business in 2019 has grown into an influential player of sustainable building projects. And NICE continues to grow: in addition to their own employees, NICE is supported by a team of more than 30 specialists from Focus on Impact, a partner that helps increase the impact of their projects.
NICE is best known for SAWA in Rotterdam. This building is rightfully a pioneer in the field of circular timber construction. With a height of 50 meters and 109 homes, SAWA is the first fully circular wooden residential building of this size in the Netherlands. The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2025. The building has won no less than 15 international awards and has been featured more than 250 times in publications worldwide. Renowned media such as the Financial Times and the Dutch NTR, among others, have highlighted the project, contributing to NICE Developers' growing reputation as a leader in sustainable urban development.
CO2-reduction through wood construction
By building in wood, such as CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) and Glulam, we can not only reduce CO2 store and drastically reduce emissions, as well as build faster, lighter, and more sustainable. This makes the NICE Tower a "Paris Proof" building, in line with all current and future climate goals.
Drastic steps must be taken to meet climate goals. On average, a concrete tower emits 450 kg of CO2 per m². By 2030, we need to reduce these emissions to 139 kg of CO2 per sq. ft. The NICE Tower can achieve this ambitious standard.
This means that within the same CO2-footprint of one tower made of traditional concrete, we could realize no less than three biobased NICE Towers! Not only do we reduce the CO2-footprint significantly, but we add within the available CO2 budget also add more homes to the stock.
Circular and future-oriented
To combat global depletion, it is essential to use as many reused and regenerative biobased materials as possible. The NICE Tower is completely biobased and circular in design. The floors are constructed of CLT with recycled dry mass on top instead of poured concrete. The wooden construction is prefabricated in the factory and bolted together on site. All construction components are thus detachable and reusable in the future. This contributes to the longevity and circularity of the building.
The design of the NICE Tower is based on the Open Building principle: the main load-bearing structure consists of floors, beams and columns. This ensures that the housing and workspaces are easily adaptable to changing needs in the future.
Strengthening biodiversity
The impact of urbanization on people and the environment is evident, from flooding to heat stress and increasing CO2-emissions. At the same time, habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other insects is being increasingly restricted by the same development. Enhancing biodiversity is an essential part of NICE's vision and an integral part of all development.
The NICE Tower contributes to a healthy living environment with a nature-inclusive design developed in collaboration with urban ecologists and biologists. Planters and green terraces are integrated on several floors, specifically designed to support local flora and fauna. Nesting boxes, which provide safe shelter for birds and insects, are part of the design, helping the tower to strengthen the city's biodiversity.
Affordability, social inclusiveness and health
In addition to sustainability, social cohesion also plays an important role in the NICE Tower. Loneliness is a growing problem that affects all ages and poses not only emotional, but also serious health risks. Especially among young people, there has been a sharp increase in loneliness in recent years.
In many cities, it is increasingly difficult for middle-income people to find affordable housing. Teachers, police officers and health care providers are "the foundation of the city" and should be able to continue living in the city.
NICE actually creates a diverse community by offering a mix of owner-occupied and rental housing in different price categories, so that people with essential social functions can also find a place in the city.
In addition, shared facilities, such as mobility services, chore rooms, vegetable gardens and social gathering spaces, contribute to a close-knit community and promote residents' well-being and health. By reserving specific spaces in the building for meeting and connection, we provide space for local initiatives that benefit not only the residents, but also the broader neighborhood.
On the ground and central floors, various social functions are planned, such as co-working spaces, a bike bar, child care, a movie theater, a community center and catering facilities. These amenities contribute to the vibrancy of both the building and the surrounding neighborhood.
The feasibility of shared values
The NICE Tower is not only an ambitious project, but also an example of how sustainability and financial viability can go hand in hand.
Empathy, incisiveness and complete transparency characterize the way NICE Developers works. NICE does not believe in profit maximization within the housing sector; instead, it deliberately chooses to cap profits. The remaining money is reinvested in design, housing quality, accessibility and social values. On top of that, in partnership with Climate Clean Up, we are reinvesting the stored CO2 can value, which strengthens the feasibility of the business case. This unique perspective on shared values rather than just shareholder values ensures that their projects are financially viable.
NICE takes scaling up circular timber construction seriously and uses proven technologies and certified timber construction systems, supported by as many as eight European second opinions. With successful examples, NICE shows that stacked ambitions are realistic. NICE invites others to collaborate on projects based on shared values.
"Let's join hands and build this future together. Our shared mission is clear: to create a future where future generations can live safely and sustainably in our cities."
NICE Developers
NICE Tower is a development of NICE Developers and designed by Mei architects and planners. Pieters Bouwtechniek is involved as consultant for the main supporting structure; Merosch is responsible for the Paris Proof calculations.
