In the heart of Rotterdam East, next to the Alexandrium shopping centre, a new residential tower has risen: Grote Beer. The 68-meter-high tower, located on the street with the same name, marks an important milestone in the development of the Alexanderknoop, one of Rotterdam’s upcoming city centres.
Developed and built by Dura Vermeer in partnership with Vesteda and 31 West, Grote Beer provides a solution to the city’s growing shortage of affordable housing. With 21 floors, the tower houses 193 rental apartments, of which 85% are destined for the mid-range rental sector. The apartments vary from two to four rooms, with surfaces between 57m² and 83m², making them perfectly suited for starters and single-parent families who want to live in the city.
A GREEN AND SOCIAL CHARACTER
The tower is designed as four stacked blocks. Each volume has its own setback, giving Grote Beer its distinctive stepped structure. On each offset, rooftop gardens have been created, each with its own thematic characteristics. For example, one is dedicated to sports activities whilst another offers residents space for urban gardening. Another serves as a terrace for socializing and the uppermost garden is exclusively for the adjacent apartments.
The generous setbacks of 6.5 meters ensure that the tower appears more slender towards the top. All roof edges are designed as planters with lush vegetation, making the greenery visible even from the street level. Each terrace also features a tree container, further enhancing the green character.
Social cohesion among residents is fostered not only by the shared rooftop gardens, but also by a communal living room on the ground floor and a collective space adjacent to the main rooftop garden. This space is specifically designed to facilitate encounters between neighbours. The building’s ground floor hosts various commercial functions, including a bridal shop and art gallery. Additional amenities such as a post room, storage, bicycle parking and technical facilities are also situated on the ground floor.
PREFAB-ALL-THE-WAY
One of the most remarkable aspects of this project is the rapid completion. After the first pila was driven in December 2021, the residential tower reached completion in just two and half years. This notably short construction time was made possible by the “prefab-all-the-way” building technique. With this method, façade elements, load-bearing walls, floors, bathrooms and toilet were prefabricated off-site and assembled on location. The façade consists of 341 sandwich elements with brick slips. These prefab sections are framed with yellow-tinted concrete, giving Grote Beer a welcoming appearance.
A critical aspect in designing the prefab façade was how to handle the joints. Two contrasting approaches were adopted: in some places, the joints are accentuated, making them a deliberate part of the design. In other areas, the joints are subtly concealed by placing them at the side of the brickwork, thus blending them into the natural transition between concrete and brick.
