ROTTERDAM, 7 June 2026 – SAWA in Rotterdam has been named BNA Building of the Year 2026, with the jury unanimously selecting the circular timber residential building. The award recognises the project’s architecture as well as its combination of timber construction, affordable housing, biodiversity and shared residential space.
Image: SAWA Rotterdam. Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode
The jury described SAWA as a building with a “wow effect” and called it “a serious and important experiment in timber construction and entrepreneurship, with exemplary value; a turning point for the city.”
Timber housing earns top award
SAWA was developed by NICE Developers and ERA Contour and designed by Mei architects and planners. The 50-metre building contains 109 homes, with approximately half offered as affordable mid-market rental apartments.
The project uses a predominantly timber load-bearing structure and combines private homes with generous outdoor spaces and shared facilities. Its design aims to encourage interaction between residents while reducing the amount of embodied carbon associated with construction.
The BNA jury also highlighted SAWA’s open and learning-oriented approach, its relationship with the surrounding community and its contribution to liveability, social cohesion and sustainability. The full jury report is available in Dutch via https://bna.nl/woongebouw-sawa-winnaar-bna-beste-gebouw-van-het-jaar-2026/
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Biodiversity built into SAWA
Nature is part of the building rather than an added detail. SAWA incorporates more than 3,000 plants, around 700 metres of integrated planters and 140 nesting facilities.
That makes the building one of Rotterdam’s clearest examples of nature-inclusive architecture at a larger residential scale. Balconies, planting and nesting spaces are integrated into the structure, giving vegetation and urban wildlife a permanent place in the design.
The award therefore goes beyond the building’s timber frame. It also acknowledges a housing model that attempts to combine architectural quality, lower-carbon construction, biodiversity and a mix of housing types within one project.
The winning SAWA team on stage. From left to right: Leen Kooman, Joost Wetzel, Michiel van Loon and Robert Winkel of Mei architects and planners, and Mark Compeer of NICE Developers. Photo: Bas van Hattum
Rotterdam project tests new model
NICE Developers describes SAWA as proof that sustainability, affordability, biodiversity and social quality do not have to be treated as separate ambitions.
“SAWA demonstrates that it is possible to stack ambitions rather than compromise them. Climate goals, biodiversity, social inclusion, affordability and architectural quality are often treated as competing interests. We believe they can reinforce one another when developers, architects, builders and investors are willing to look beyond the short term. This award is a recognition of everyone who believed that building can be done differently.”
SAWA was the first completed project by NICE Developers and was conceived as a demonstration of a different approach to residential development. The initiators say development profits were deliberately limited so that more could be invested in quality, circular construction, biodiversity and social inclusivity.
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Jury sees wider significance
The jury regards SAWA as an example that could influence future housing projects elsewhere in the Netherlands. It specifically praised the entrepreneurial and investigative mindset behind the building and the way developers, architects and builders worked together.
For Rotterdam, the award places a local housing project at the centre of a wider national debate about how cities can add homes without separating affordability, design quality and environmental goals.
More information about the project is available via https://www.nicedevelopers.nl/en/project/sawa-rotterdam/
