Submitted by Lola Kleindouwel

KAAN Architecten's Zalmhaven design reaches highest point

Netherlands Architecture News - Dec 14, 2020 - 15:04   6055 views

KAAN Architecten's Zalmhaven design reaches highest point

The project is located adjacent to the former port of Zalmhaven, in the centre of Rotterdam, the Netherlands and consists of three mainly residential towers. The Zalmhaven I is designed by Dam & Partners and with a height of 215 meters will become the tallest building in the Netherlands. Zalmhaven II and III are designed by KAAN Architecten. The Zalmhaven design will be mixed-use, including 452 apartments and penthouses, 33 townhouses, a parking garage, offices, commercial spaces, a rooftop garden and a restaurant at the top of the skyscraper overlooking the skyline of Rotterdam.

The design is high-end. The aim of the Zalmhaven is to offer services regarding the "New York model", with a service desk making a dinner reservation for the residents, organizing dry-cleaning or a car wash. The design also includes offices and a gym, which will be located above the lobby of the Zalmhaven I building.


Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

The two 70-meter towers, designed by KAAN Architecten, combine both the urban and local scale. It will include the 33 townhouses, which have a private rooftop garden and a direct relationship with the liveliness of the street level. The 196 apartments will have a more urban feel and are designed with balconies and corner windows, offering views over the city of Rotterdam.


Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

KAAN’s design is very sustainable. Both towers have a high insulation value and will have solar panels and heat pumps. The parking garage is covered by the rooftop garden, which forms a high insulation value and slows down the rainwater runoff. The gardens are ‘cool’ factors in the building, and together with the white colour of the façade, will contribute against the urban heat island effect.


Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

Image courtesy of KAAN Architecten

On December 3rd, the highest point of the Zalmhaven II and III designs was reached. Two out of the three towers have now reached their definitive height of 70 meters. It is expected that the 215 meter tower will reach its highest point mid-September 2021. It is tradition to celebrate the reach of the highest point, but due to the current pandemic, the festivities could not take place.

The towers are expected to be completed in 2021. Currently 90% of the residences are sold. The first apartment are expected to be finalized in 2022.


Highest point reached. Image courtesy of Sebastian van Damme

Project information

Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Client: Zalmhaven CV (AM, Amvest)

Initiated: 2015

Completion: 2021

Size: 49.000 sqm

Top image courtesy of KAAN Architecten.

> via KAAN Architecten