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HOUSING BLOCK DE WITTE KEIZER

KCAP, 2001-2006, Keizerstraat 1-213, Rotterdam

ARCHITECT(URAL OFFICE):
KCAP

PROJECT ARCHITECT:
Han van den Born

BUILDING TYPE:
Housing


RELATED BUILDINGS:
High-Rise Zone Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the pre-eminent Dutch city when it comes to high-rise, beginning with https://www.architectureguide.nl/project/item/prj_id/188" class="inline_link">Het Witte Huis, the country's first skyscraper. High-rise was made possible by such technological advances as the lift (1854) and the use of steel and reinforced concrete. Of course, taller buildings had been erected before, such as the 64 metre tall tower of the https://www.architectureguide.nl/project/item/prj_id/24" class="inline_link">St. Laurenskerk. The record then passed in 1931 to the https://www.architectureguide.nl/project/item/prj_id/299" class="inline_link">electricity board building (64 m.), then to the https://www.architectureguide.nl/project/item/prj_id/206" class="inline_link">Medical Faculty (114 m.) and the headquarters of https://www.architectureguide.nl/project/item/prj_id/1351" class="inline_link">Nationale-Nederlanden (151 m.), to the https://www.architectureguide.nl/project/item/prj_id/1996" class="inline_link">Maastoren, with 165 metres the tallest building in the Netherlands.
Chicago comes to this part of the centre of Rotterdam with De Witte Keizer, a 107-apartment, 70 metre tall tower. The three lowest above-ground levels contain office and commercial units, with a fully automatic car park in the basement. Horizontal and vertical bands and rough surfaces enliven the cladding of white concrete panels.