Six more portlofts arrived in Rotterdam's Nassauhaven

Building on the water is the future. Because Rotterdam city is growing, many new homes will be needed in the coming years. The space to build in the city is limited. There is still room on the water. In order to gain experience with building on the water, the municipality has started looking for a developer of sustainable water homes. The Havenlofts in the Nassauhaven, an unused harbour basin, are the result. Rotterdam hopes to give more water homes a place in the future. Other forms of floating construction in Rotterdam are the Floating Pavilion, the Floating Forest, the Aqua Dock and Floating Farm.

Havenlofts: 18 floating homes

The houses go with the tide. Moreover, they are sustainable; they have solar panels and generate heat via a biomass installation. The lofts have their own water purification system, so they do not need to be connected to the sewer system. Another special feature is that the banks regard the Havenlofts as houses (real estate) and are prepared to provide a mortgage on them. The houses were built on a site in Rotterdam-East and transported across the Nieuwe Maas to the Nassauhaven. This year the remaining twelve water homes will be towed into the Nassauhaven in two phases. It is the first street with water dwellings in Rotterdam.

Ebb and flow

Because of the open connection with the sea, ebb and flow can be felt all the way into the city. In the Nassauhaven, the difference in ebb and flow is between one and a half and two metres. We call this difference 'tide'. The tide has been taken into account in both the construction of the floating houses and the construction of a nature-friendly bank.

A nature-friendly bank

Until recently the banks of the Nassauhaven were straight and hard. There was little room for plants and animals. In order to be able to experience the tide better, the municipality constructed a nature-friendly bank. This bank is adjacent to the existing Nassauhaven park and has been laid out in stages so that plants can grow. The bank provides more variety in animals and plants. And makes the living environment even greener. The development of a tidal bank in a former harbour basin is unique in the Netherlands.