ROTTERDAM, 21 April 2021 - The innovative Rotterdam residential building SAWA has received the Green GOOD DESIGN™ Award 2021. The building was designed by Mei architects and planners and commissioned by Nice Developers and ERA Contour. In November last year, SAWA also won the first prize of the ARC20 Innovation Award. Although the building is still in the design phase, it is already in the limelight.

 

The Green GOOD DESIGN™ Award, presented by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, is an international prize that is awarded annually to exceptional projects that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable world. SAWA was praised for its innovative, daring and circular concept, making it a deserved winner in the Architecture category.

 

SAWA will be the first all-wood 50-metre-high residential building in Rotterdam. Exceptional about the project is that the building is constructed in CLT (cross laminated timber), including the main supporting structure. The building's appearance is distinguished by the generous green terraces and is designed entirely from the perspective of plants and animals, thus enhancing the biodiversity of the neighbourhood and the city. This 'healthiest building in the Netherlands' will create a place that adds value to the neighbourhood by stimulating communities, a common deck, shared functions and connection with existing local initiatives. The future residents are actively involved in the developments of SAWA and regular participation meetings are organized. The official sale is scheduled for the summer of this year, and the aim is to start construction of SAWA before the end of 2021.

 

 

GOOD DESIGN™ was founded in 1950 in Chicago by Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann Jr. The goal was to gain a wider public understanding for modern design. As in 1950, when modern design took a new direction in design history, Green GOOD DESIGN™ now seeks to influence consumer habits, restructure the production process, influence the design of cities and public spaces and raise awareness about our limited global resources and the disappearance of clean air, clean earth and clean water. The founders of GOOD DESIGN™ in the 1950s introduced modern design with passion, innovation and revolutionary zeal. With Green GOOD DESIGN®, today's organizers strive to do the same.

 

 

Mei architects and planners designed a unique wooden residential building 'SAWA' in the heart of the Lloydkwartier in Rotterdam. A residential building with a height of 50 metres is not special in Rotterdam, but if that complex is entirely made of wood, it is a first.

 

SAWA comprises around 100 homes, 50 of which are mid-rental apartments. The building has been given the name SAWA because of its stepped shape with green terraces. Mei states that it is a reference to Asian rice fields and a reference to the history of the place. From the Lloydpier, passenger ships used to depart to the east with shipping company Rotterdamsche Lloyd.

 

Exceptional about SAWA is that the building is built as much as possible in CLT (cross laminated timber). By working with cross laminated timber, CO2 emissions are reduced. The construction time with this material is also shorter compared to concrete construction. The intention is to start building next year. In addition, the building distinguishes itself by its generous green terraces, which enhance the biodiversity of the district.

 

 

The apartments will have spacious, green terraces. Help has been requested from city ecologists to integrate the greenery in the balconies, terraces and deck.

 

Architectural firm Mei is also behind Phoenix I, which was voted 'best building in Rotterdam' by a professional jury earlier this year. SAWA has been commissioned by Nice Developers & Era Contour.