Schielandtoren, Residential tower in Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Schielandtoren is a 32-story residential tower standing 101 meters tall in central Rotterdam, featuring a distinctive red brick exterior that sets it apart from the city's glass and metal structures. The building contains 109 apartments arranged with two units per floor on the lower levels and four apartments per floor starting from the ninth story.
Construction of the residential tower began in 1994 and finished in 1996, replacing an earlier plan to build an office complex on this site. This shift in purpose reflected the city's changing priorities toward residential development during that period.
The architect Pi de Bruijn selected traditional brickwork for the facade, departing from the glass and metal exteriors common in Rotterdam's high-rise buildings.
The tower sits in a tightly built-up central Rotterdam location where space is limited, which shaped how the building was designed and constructed. Visitors should know that public transport is the best way to reach this site, as the dense neighborhood makes parking difficult.
The construction team used tunnel forms and a single crane due to limited space at the central Rotterdam site. This unconventional building method made it possible to create a large residential tower in an area that seemed too cramped for such a project.
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