Barcode Architects has shared photos of the firm’s newly completed CasaNova residential tower project in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Defined by its triangular volume and hand-cut red natural stone-paneled facade, the 236,806-square-foot structure rises from a base plinth to a height of 36 stories, preferencing social connectivity throughout and via a 5th-floor outdoor roof garden that’s shared with residents of the firm’s smaller The Muse design from 2020.

The plinth also contains co-working spaces, a communal kitchen, a gym, and hotel rooms. Inside the tower, a total of 116 high-end residences offer sweeping 300-degree views of the city’s skyline. Triangular balconies totaling 161 square feet are formed at the corners of the tower, and residents are once again channeled toward a greater social cohesion which takes place on the walk from the parking garage entrance to the tower’s inviting atrium.

The project is a key component in the nine-tower scheme for the rapidly densifying Maritime District. Its location at the nexus of the Oude Haven high street and Markthal helps to activate the site's pedestrian connection in unison with the Leuvehaven and Witte de Withstraat to Museumpark. Public space is further created around the Wijnhaven corner plot, with room for boutiques and cafes. The scale of the tower coincides with Barcode and KCAP’s urban development plan for Rotterdam, which calls for 22 square meters of building to be returned per every 1 square meter of ground at its site. 

The firm explains: “Within the city boundaries, densification through high-rise is a favorable option, but anonymous volumes where residents don't know each other should be avoided. With CasaNova, we want to create a three-dimensional part of the city, where people live healthily, neighbours know each other and there is a pleasant atmosphere at ground level. The design principles used in these projects, set an example for the new Rotterdam High Rise vision.”

Also in the Netherlands, Barcode is working with MVRDV on the new Hyde Park urban district near Amsterdam. Another mixed-use district in Utrecht will be completed by 2028 with the help of Heatherwick Studio. The firm's 442-residence Sluishuis scheme was also realized last year with BIG in Amsterdam's inner harbor.