The disused Spoorweghaven dock in Rotterdam might soon welcome the biggest floating housing development in Europe. Danish maritime architecture studio MAST and construction company BIK Bouw are teaming up to design a floating neighbourhood, including residential units, commercial spaces, and gardens.
As cities are becoming ever-more populated, finding space in an already crowded world becomes increasingly difficult. According to Dutch officials, the Netherlands alone will need approximately 900,000 new homes by 2030 in order to meet demand. While many are looking at vertical constructions to save the day, others are looking for alternatives. MAST has found such an alternative on the water.
“The project hopes to demonstrate floating architecture as a viable scalable alternative to conventional housing – one that embraces water as a living part of the city. It also aims to show how development can enhance the environment: improving water quality supporting biodiversity and encouraging movement by boat and bike. At a time when many low-lying cities are turning their backs on the water with high quays and hard barriers this project offers another approach – one that restores a direct everyday connection to the harbour,” MAST founding partner Marshall Blecher told Dezeen.
The Spoorweghaven project would comprise 100 prefabricated low-cost homes, several commercial spaces, and both rooftop and floating gardens. The whole block would be built on the water and would be connected to the rest of Rotterdam via a network of bridges. All buildings would be reachable by bike and by boat.
Sustainable building techniques
Sustainability plays a key role in the project. Firstly, the water quality be improved through the installation of 900 square meters of floating reed beds in collaboration with the ecological engineering company Biomatrix. These would absorb pollutants from the water, allowing for more biodiversity and a safe swimming environment.
“Salt-tolerant grasses and reeds are planted in the substrate their roots extending into the harbour to function as natural biofilters. As the roots grow they absorb pollutants and excess nutrients helping to reduce algal blooms and increase oxygen levels in the water. Beyond water purification the reedbeds create valuable habitat for marine and bird life — offering shelter and breeding grounds for algae fish invertebrates and waterflow,” Blecher explained.
Secondly, the building materials used are aimed at reducing construction waste. In order to make this possible, all units would be fabricated off-site from cross-laminated timber. This would allow for the buildings to be relocated or reused in the future if needed and hugely diminishes the construction nuisance for the neighbourhood.
