ROTTERDAM, 1 April 2026 – Construction of Tree House, the office and residential tower planned beside Rotterdam Central Station, can now go ahead after the Council of State rejected objections to the environmental permit. With the permit now final, work on the long-delayed project is expected to begin in September.
Image: Artist’s impression of Tree House. Photo: Provast
The decision clears the way for one of the most prominent developments in the Rotterdam Central District. Tree House will rise on Delftseplein, directly next to the city’s main rail hub, adding both new homes and office space in one of the most strategically connected parts of Rotterdam.
The ruling also brings long-awaited certainty to a site that has been hanging in the balance. For Rotterdam, that matters because the project sits right where housing demand, public transport and inner-city development increasingly meet.
A 133-metre tower beside the station
Tree House will have 37 floors and reach a height of around 133 metres. The building includes a basement with an underground bicycle parking garage, a commercial plinth on the ground floor and first floor, eight office floors from the second to the ninth floor, a technical floor and office space on the tenth floor, and 299 homes from the eleventh to the 37th floor.
That mix reflects the kind of high-density, station-area development Rotterdam has been pushing for in recent years. It is not just another tall building on the skyline, but a project designed to combine living, working and movement in one place.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Why this matters for Rotterdam
Alderman Chantal Zeegers, whose portfolio includes building and housing, called the ruling good news for home seekers in Rotterdam. Her point is easy to follow. New housing close to the city’s biggest public transport hub is exactly the sort of development Rotterdam keeps saying it wants more of.
The location is doing a lot of the work here. Living next to Rotterdam Central Station means immediate access to trains, trams, metro and buses, while also placing future residents within walking distance of the city centre, office districts and major cultural venues.
Provast and PLP Architecture lead the project
The developer behind Tree House is Provast, while the design comes from PLP Architecture. The artist’s impression released with the announcement shows a stepped tower with planted terraces and a strong vertical profile, giving the building a softer and greener look than many of the harder-edged towers around the station.
Now that the permit is irrevocable, the project can finally shift from planning to construction. If the current timeline holds, the first shovel will go into the ground in September, turning a paper project into a real addition to the Rotterdam skyline.
