‘De Landtong’ residential complex, Rotterdam

‘De Landtong’ was the first new residential development in the former port area at the ‘Kop van Zuid’, on the southern banks of the River Maas. The ambitious programme was necessary to give the area an injection of urbanity in one fell swoop, by means of differentiation in residential typologies, street plans, open space and types of access. The complex consists of two large, internalized urban blocks that harmonize with the large-scale port area in terms of size and unity. The edge of the block is a varied composition of slabs, towers and strips. The ensemble has an urban profile on the side looking towards the city centre and a more small-scale character on the low-rise southern edge. The programme has been translated into an unprecedented assortment of housing types: from spacious owner-occupied dwellings to social-sector rented apartments, from urban pieds-à-terre and stacked apartments with generous terraces to single-family dwellings. A city within the city.