The "De Hartenrust" building, designed by van Bergen Kolpa Architects, comprises 36 compact yet spacious social housing units, including single-family homes and apartments, distributed across a nine-story tower, four-story corner houses, and three-story townhouses. Together, they form a robust and habitable sculpture with sheltered loggias, French balconies, and a rooftop communal garden.
Warm and durable materials were chosen for the building's construction. The facades are built of brick, featuring an alternating rhythm of light-colored vertical windows and a glazed green brick plinth, harmonizing with the surrounding 19th-century urban landscape.
"De Hartenrust" by van Bergen Kolpa Architects. Photograph by Filip Dujardin.
Project description by van Bergen Kolpa Architects
De Hartenrust is a new social housing building located on the Rotte River bend in Rotterdam. The building comprises tower apartments, townhouses, and corner houses.
Together, they form a versatile sculpture that marks the connection between the densely populated Oude Noorden neighborhood and the green, livable riverbanks.
The building houses 36 affordable social housing units, including single-family homes and apartments. Despite their compact size, all the apartments are spacious and feature sheltered loggias and wide French balconies with city views, as well as a shared rooftop garden. The single-family homes have street-facing entrances and rooftop terraces.
The robust, sculptural building is softened by warm, rich materials. The facades are constructed of sturdy brick, with an alternating rhythm of light-colored vertical windows and a glazed green brick plinth that harmonizes with the surrounding 19th-century neighborhood. De Hartenrust contributes to a healthy and livable city by constructing passive, well-insulated, and future-proof homes with natural ventilation and green roofs for water retention.
“Together with the Havensteder Foundation, we have created a building with a wide variety of housing options on a small, complex urban site, making the most of the space and integrating it seamlessly.”
Jago van Bergen, van Bergen Kolpa Architects.
Versatile Sculpture
De Hartenrust continues the urban sequence of high-rise buildings near the bridges over the Rotte River. The building comprises three sections and, with its distinctive corners, forms a versatile sculpture on the scale of the street, the neighborhood, and the city. The nine-story tower stands as a landmark on the Rotte. The stepped cantilever of the base, the central section, and the upper part interact subtly and elegantly with the curve of the river. The four-story corner apartments mark the intersection of the streets with a classic stepped chamfer. Between the tower and the corner houses, the three-story terraced houses on the street highlight the individuality of the homes.
“The building’s unique design and architectural quality enrich the urban fabric of the neighborhood.”
Mattijs van Ruijven, Head of Urban Planning, Rotterdam City Council.
Generous Social Housing
De Hartenrust celebrates the rich tradition of social housing, adapting to the contemporary need for diversity and spaciousness. The building offers a variety of housing types for its residents, from spacious family homes to compact apartments. Despite their compact size, the apartments feel very spacious thanks to their corner location and large French balconies that allow light and air to flow into every room. In the family homes, the kitchen, living room, and bedroom span the entire width of the home, and the floors are connected by a wide, open staircase.
“The open-plan layout makes the most of the available space. This provides our residents with a spacious living area, even within a small footprint.”
Ferdi Jeelof, Implementation Project Manager at Havensteder Housing Association
Spaces for Social Interaction
The building creates spaces for residents to gather and opens up to the surrounding environment in a welcoming way. The double-height lobby serves as a central and inviting entrance, with the various facilities and bicycle parking areas readily visible. The mezzanine level is ideal for community use and activities. In front of the entrance is a small green plaza with benches by the water. The shared rooftop terrace, nestled among the treetops, offers a space for outdoor activities with panoramic views. The family apartments feature front doors and kitchen-diners with large windows overlooking the street, enlivening the sidewalk and encouraging interaction with the neighborhood.
“In addition to affordable housing, we work to create livable neighborhoods. The De Hartenrust residential building contributes to this by offering residents the space and opportunity to get to know each other.”
Christa Uithol, Housing Director, Havensteder Housing Association.
Warm and elegant materials.
The building's robust structure is softened by warm and elegant materials that harmonize with the surrounding 19th-century neighborhood. The three sections of the building are finished with subtly hueded yellow brick over a base of glazed green bricks. Two-tone gray mortar joints create a subtle distinction between the building sections, recessed windows, and cornice moldings. Light olive-yellow frames and railings create a harmonious tone-on-tone effect with the two-tone masonry. Brass details on the lighting and apartment numbers lend the building a rich and authentic character.
"With De Hartenrust, we are offering our residents a residential building with high-quality architecture. Its spaciousness and excellent location are exceptional for social housing."
Marije Bouman, Development and Acquisitions Director at Havensteder.
Future-ready.
The building contributes to a healthy and livable city thanks to its future-proof design. Minimal energy demand is achieved through passive construction, with heat storage and excellent insulation, combined with integrated blinds and natural ventilation. Green terraces and roofs with water retention systems mitigate flooding and drought, improve the environment, and promote biodiversity.
“In addition to smart energy and water solutions, we can substantially increase the building’s future-proofing by using bio-based double-wall interior walls and circular windows and frames.”
Jaap-Jan Smit, Director of BAM Wonen
