ROTTERDAM, 19 November 2025 – Queen Máxima has officially opened SAWA, the new circular timber residential building on the Lloydpier in Rotterdam. The ceremony marked an important moment for the partners behind the project and for the residents who moved in over the summer.
Royal opening of SAWA
On the Lloydpier, Queen Máxima has officially opened SAWA (SAWA), the new circular wooden residential building developed by NICE Developers and ERA Contour. The building has been designed as a place where living, greenery and shared spaces come together in one stepped timber structure overlooking the Maas.
During the programme ahead of the opening, SAWA was presented to the Queen by residents, designers, ecologists and developers. They explained how the building came about and how it influences their daily lives. One of the residents shared a personal story together with her young daughter, giving a glimpse of what it means to grow up in a building that actively brings neighbours together.
Afterwards, the festive opening took place on the communal deck. Together with residents, Queen Máxima unveiled an oversized picnic table that will from now on serve as a shared meeting place for everyone in the building. The table is intended as a simple, everyday object that makes it easier for people to sit down together, share a meal or talk.
A guided tour through the building followed, during which the Queen spoke with residents and project partners about the choices behind the wooden structure, the greenery in and around the building and the way residents are involved in the life of the community. Conversations focused on practical experiences: from how the shared spaces are used to how the timber interior feels in daily living.
Living with nature in the city
SAWA has been conceived as a living ecosystem in the middle of the city. The building contains more than 600 metres of integrated planters, thousands of native plants and around 140 nesting boxes for birds and bats, so that the façade and decks contribute visibly to urban biodiversity. The stepped terraces function as green layers where plants, residents and city wildlife share the same structure.
The communal deck forms the green heart of SAWA. It is a shared outdoor space where residents can meet, garden together or simply enjoy the view over Rotterdam’s port area. Almost half of the homes fall into the mid-rent segment, which makes this type of circular timber housing accessible to a broader group of Rotterdam residents, rather than being limited to a small niche.
Image: SAWA while still under constuction, February 2025. Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode
Built for meeting and shared living
Inside and around the building, many functions are shared. SAWA offers communal facilities such as a hobby and tool room, shared mobility options and collective terraces. These additions are designed to make it easy for residents to borrow equipment, share transport and organise activities together, lowering the threshold for contact between neighbours.
The layout and galleries have been chosen to encourage people to see and greet each other during the day, rather than retreating behind closed doors. In this way, the building aims to support everyday interaction: brief conversations in the corridor, shared gardening on the deck or informal gatherings at the new picnic table unveiled during the royal opening. Over time, these small routines are expected to shape the social character of the community.
Collaboration as foundation
During the opening, attention was also paid to the intensive collaboration behind SAWA. Developers, contractor, architect, ecologists and a broad group of partners from the city have worked together from the first idea through to design, engineering, construction and resident participation.
From circular timber construction and nature-inclusive design to the involvement of future residents, SAWA shows what is possible when different disciplines share the same ambitions. The royal opening is seen as a symbolic moment in which that shared effort is recognised, but for residents it mainly marks the beginning of everyday life in a building that is intended to grow with them and with the neighbourhood.
How to get to SAWA on the Lloydpier
SAWA is located on the Lloydpier in the Lloydkwartier, along Lloydstraat in Rotterdam’s western inner harbour area. The building stands between the Maas and the historic harbour basins, in a district that combines former port warehouses with new residential and office blocks.
The area can be reached by tram via routes along Willem Buytewechstraat and Sint-Jobskade, followed by a short walk towards the pier. Cyclists can follow the riverside routes from the city centre and Delfshaven, while drivers use main roads such as Westzeedijk and the Maastunnel route before turning towards Lloydstraat, where on-street and nearby parking options are available.
