Downtown Rotterdam: modern residential tower in the heart of the city with limitless views

Once again, Intal and Stebru are realizing an impressive inner-city high-rise project. This project, like previous collaborations such as Our Domain and Frank is a Binck, demonstrates how optimal cooperation leads to successful results. Robbert de Nijs, Project Manager for major work at Intal, emphasizes the importance of cooperation in such large-scale projects.

Tough and simple 

The 75-meter high residential tower, centrally located in Rotterdam's Baankwartier, is located in one of the most dynamic places in the city, near the Koopgoot, Witte de Withstraat and the Maritime Museum. OZ Architects has captured the atmosphere of the Baankwartier with a bold and simple architecture. The tower, with 193 rental and owner-occupied units, is built on a solid concrete plinth and has a stepped form with a spectacular 7-meter cantilever at the rear.

Boundless views

The building is further characterized by its large windows and plenty of outdoor space with stunning views of various city hotspots, such as the Leuvehaven, the
Erasmus Bridge and the Euromast. Intal's slim aluminum profile series perfectly matches the architect's aesthetic and functional requirements. It provides a sleek and modern appearance, and offers residents an unparalleled view of the city.

Beautiful building and partnership

"It's a great job to be involved in," continues a proud Robbert. "Not only is Downtown a beautiful building, but also the collaboration with Stebru is very valuable. Working together optimally towards a common goal ensures that the construction process runs smoothly and challenges are tackled together. This is essential in large-scale projects, where, despite good preparations, unforeseen circumstances are inevitable."

Limited space, high pace of construction

"In particular, the limited space on the construction site and the high pace of construction brought challenges. Together with Stebru, we came up with smart solutions to optimize the construction process. And we take the lead towards subcontractors in places where our components interface, so that the customer gets what they need."

Customization and standardization

Several profile systems from Intal were used at Downtown, including primarily the IT55 curtain wall at ground level and the IT77ST window system. "Our standardized, fully automated manufacturing process allows us to deliver repetitive work quickly and efficiently, giving us the time and attention we need for project-specific customization. Like the IT77FP fire-resistant window frame. A technical tour de force developed and tested specifically for this project.

Follow-up tests with different appearances in various dimensions are in progress, so other plane distributions will be possible in the future."

Scaffoldless built, glazed delivered

A striking aspect of the project is the scaffold-less construction of the bottom six layers, known as the Rotterdam layer. By delivering the frames fully glazed according to a tightly coordinated schedule, the facade was closed quickly and efficiently. This minimized logistical movements and risks, given the small openings in the outer façade. 

"Furthermore -to ensure that Stebru could still properly anchor the support scaffold for the cantilever - we provided the smallest compartments in the facades with wooden plates. The engineering of the scaffold took this into account so that the anchoring could be supported on the floor via those sections. That made facade closure in front of the scaffold possible."

Thinking along in solutions

For the third and fourth floors, where there will be a parking garage with indoor car elevator, Intal, together with Stebru, is engineering a curtain wall solution with integrated collision protection in order to achieve as much space as possible for the parking bays. The intermediate floors are traditionally assembled from the roof terraces. "For the higher floors, we join the 'common tower,' a heavy transport scaffold where we follow three floors after Stebru. This approach ensures a smooth façade closure so that interior finishing can begin quickly."

All in all, another wonderful project, where the combination of innovative solutions, efficient construction methods and strong cooperation results in a successful high-rise mid-rise project
in the city.