SAWA
SAWA is an award-winning, circular wooden residential building 50 meters high in Rotterdam.
The project demonstrates how urban housing can contribute to CO₂ reduction, biodiversity, affordable housing, and a strong community—and is internationally recognized as an example of circular timber construction in the city.
- Location
- Kratonkade, Rotterdam
- Scale
- 12.500 m2 GFA
- Program
- 109 residences (50 mid-segment rental, 20 private sector rental, 39 owner-occupied), hospitality, and amenities.
- Developer
- NICE Developers ERA Contour
- Architect
- Mei architects and planners
- Builder
- ERA Contour
- Investor
- Focus on Impact
An integrated response to the city of tomorrow
SAWA is a circular wooden residential building with 109 apartments on Lloydpier in Rotterdam. The project was developed by NICE Developers, in collaboration with ERA Contour and the municipality of Rotterdam, and designed by Mei architects and planners. Focus on Impact as investor for the rental apartments.
From the initial design stage, a fundamentally different approach to urban high-rise construction was chosen. Rather than optimizing traditional construction methods, a new construction system was developed based on wood, circularity, and nature-inclusive design.
With its stepped shape, green terraces, and visible wooden support structure, SAWA is a new icon on the Meuse River—and a concrete example of how sustainable housing can be realized on a large scale and in an urban context.
The project was designed based on four interrelated core values, which have been fully translated into architecture, construction, and use, and together form the foundation of SAWA:
- CO₂ reduction
- Circularity
- Biodiversity
- Inclusivity & community
CO2-reduction through building with wood
SAWA is one of the first residential buildings in the Netherlands to be constructed largely from wood on this scale. The main supporting structure consists of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated wood.
By using wood as the primary construction material, a large amount of CO₂ is stored in the building for a long period of time, while the use of concrete and steel is greatly reduced.
The use of wood at a height of 50 meters demonstrates that high-rise urban housing with a significantly lower climate impact is achievable —without compromising safety, comfort, or architecture.
Circular and future-proof design
SAWA was designed according to the Open Building principle. The main supporting structure consists of a flexible system of columns and beams without load-bearing interior walls. This allows for flexible layout options and means that floor plans can be modified in the future without major structural changes.
The floor structure is designed to be dismantled, with a dry ballast layer instead of a traditional concrete floor. This allows materials to be reused in the future and keeps the building flexible and future-proof.
Circularity in SAWA is not a sum of measures, but structurally integrated into design and construction. The open support structure, demountable floor construction, and material choices are aimed at a long technical lifespan, functional flexibility, and future reuse of building components.
Nature-inclusive and climate-adaptive
SAWA was designed as part of the urban ecosystem of the Lloyd Quarter. Biodiversity has been an integral part of the architecture and detailing from the outset. The facades and terraces feature approximately 600 meters of integrated planters with thousands of plants.
In addition, the building contains 140 nesting facilities for birds, bats, and insects. The native vegetation provides food and habitat for pollinators and strengthens the ecological connection with broader green structures in the city.
In combination with measures such as brown roofs, water buffering, and green terraces, SAWA contributes to a climate-adaptive and healthy urban environment.
“We don't just develop homes, we also take responsibility for the city as a whole. With SAWA, we have consciously focused on affordability, mobility, and social cohesion, so that the building is not only sustainable but also valuable to the neighborhood.”
Owner/developer NICE Developers, Mark Compeer
Inclusive living and strong community
SAWA comprises 109 homes in various segments, with a substantial proportion of mid-range rentals. The residential program consists of owner-occupied homes, private sector rentals, and 50 mid-range rental homes.
NICE Developers , together with investor Focus on Impact , actively NICE Developers Focus on Impact allocation of the rental properties. Priority was deliberately given to people in social professions and those moving on from social housing. Of the 50 mid-range rental properties, 43 were allocated to households working in sectors such as healthcare, education, and security and/or who had left social housing.
In addition to individual homes, the building includes shared facilities such as a communal deck, vegetable garden, shared mobility, and communal workspaces. This creates a residential building that focuses on social inclusivity, interaction, and community building.
From ambition to icon
With its stepped shape, green terraces, and visible wooden construction, SAWA has a distinct architectural identity. The building adds a new silhouette to the Rotterdam skyline and demonstrates that sustainability and architectural quality can reinforce each other.
SAWA is internationally regarded as one of the first examples of circular timber high-rise construction in a dense urban area — and is inspiring new generations of timber construction projects in the Netherlands and beyond.
International attention and awards
Since the start of the project, SAWA has received a lot of attention worldwide. The project has been published more than 300 times in national and international media and is considered a leading example of circular timber construction and nature-inclusive urban development.
“With SAWA, we demonstrate that circular timber construction, urban density, and architectural quality are not mutually exclusive, but can actually reinforce each other. The building is the result of an integrated design approach in which sustainability is not an add-on, but the starting point.”
Owner/developer NICE Developers, Robert Winkel
Royal opening
On November 18, 2025, SAWA was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Máxima, together with residents and partners of the project — a special moment that underscored the building's significance for the city and the construction sector.
SAWA has also received numerous international awards, including:
- MIPIM Awards – Finalist for Best Residential
- National Timber Construction Award – overall winner
- Architizer A+ Sustainability Awards – Popular Choice Winner
- Architecture MasterPrize
- German Design Award – Gold Winner
- World Architecture Festival – Winner Future Projects
tons of stored CO2 (in HDC)
- 2050
nesting boxes for birds and bats
- 140
outdoor space, average, per residence
- 40m²
mid-segment rental residences
- 50%
shared deck with vegetable garden
- 800m²
linear meters of planters
- 600m
plants
- 3000
meter high
- 50
SAWA expert team
The following people contributed to SAWA:
Client: NICE Developers ERA Contour
Architect: Mei architects and planners
Investor: Focus on Impact
Municipality: Rotterdam
Contractor: ERA Contour
Structural engineer: Pieters Bouwtechniek
Building physics consultant: DGMR
Fire consultant: Adviesbureau Hamerlinck
Construction cost advice: Maatwerk in Bouwadvies
Wood, innovation, and sustainability: Aldus Bouwinnovatie
Technical timber construction: Pirmin Jung & Derix Group
Wood supplier: Derix Group
Ecology: Copijn
Biodiversity: Bureau Stadsnatuur & Piet Vollaard
Wind impact study: Peutz
Architectural consultant: Duoplan
Real estate agent: Kettner Makelaars
Notary: Westpoort Notarissen
Paris Proof construction?
The answer is NICE
