Rotterdam in development

47 R O T T E R D A M I N O N T W I K K E L I N G | 2 0 1 8 concept of De Sax is tailored. There are a wide variety of different home types and homes with varying dimensions: a floor area of between 60 and 150 square metres. René de Wit: “There are quite a lot of large houses available on the Wilhelminapier, but it seems many people today want small, comfortable homes. They are less interested in acquiring possessions and think more about the practical aspects of what they need. These days people live in a different way: the city is their living room, they have different needs and they approach mobility differently, using the car less and travelling more often by bicycle or public transport.” Paul Becht: “That’s why the parking garage has more facilities for shared cars, and why we’re including large areas to store bikes.” JAZZY RHYTHM The diversity of the flats in the design is expressed in the bay windows, which are a feature of all the homes and which give the façades their unpredictable, jazzy rhythm. These windows add vibrancy to the towers and, especially in the evenings, they underscore the function of the homes: they show that they are lived in. This adds an extra dimension to the spaciousness of the façades. In a manner of speaking, for the residents, this means they will be able to step outside, get more sunlight in their home and add space with more square metres. But it also gives residents more social contact with each other, as they can see each other from their bay windows. “The bay windows can be installed in several ways and at a variety of heights. That’s the source of the great freedom of the design,” Becht and De Wit emphasise. “You experience the city more; this increases your interaction with the city and makes it more intense. In this building, we celebrate living in all its forms.” Philadelphia, at a height of 80 metres the smaller of the two towers, will house 150 homes for sale. Havana, the bigger tower block, which will be 165 metres tall, will soon contain as many as 360 homes for rent. BPD and Synchroon are still looking for a suitable investor for this tower. When that investor is found, the current design of the tower will be further elaborated until the definitive design is ready. In 2022, De Sax is expected to be ready to challenge its competitors on the Wilhelminapier.