Valckensteyn
A Beacon in Timber
At 40 meters high, our Valckensteyn is the largest timber-built affordable housing complex in the Netherlands. We answered Woonstad Rotterdam’s ambition for a residential building in wood with an elegant, circular, and integrated sustainable design – an efficient yet elegant beacon in timber that makes nature-inclusive living in wood accessible to all.
Its timber structure makes it so light-weight it can reuse the foundations of the building that stood there before.’
New over Old
Lightness of Matter
Lightness of Matter
Rising to 12 stories with 82 homes, the building is situated in Pendrecht, a post-war neighborhood in Rotterdam, on the site of a now demolished flat. The lightness of the timber design presented the unique opportunity to build on top of the old building’s foundations – a sustainable decision, removing the need for new foundations and significantly reducing materials and waste.
The ground floor is entered through a plinth clad in travertine – a typical high-quality postwar material and a nod to the neighborhoods’ past. Filled with abundant daylight, the lobby’s strong connection with the bicycle storage creates the sensation of one large inviting space.
With flower gardens and arboretums, our nature inclusive design really raises the quality of life for residents.’
All about the Green
All about the Green
The collective gardens are publicly accessible and create a pleasant and playful living environment for both humans and animals. Rich vegetation and plants flowering year-round attract bees and other insects, stimulating biodiversity. Even the carpark has high sustainability ambitions. It’s designed as a “green carpet” with integrated water filtration and cement-free paving stones.
Surrounded by this lush greenery, residents enjoy connections to the outdoors from floor-to-ceiling windows whether on the lower floors or from expansive views on the upper floors. Generous timber clad west-facing balconies span the width of the apartments with vistas of the park and the evening sun.
Exquisite Efficiency
Ground Floor
1st to 7th Floor
Section
Detail
Site Plan
