Architecture

High-rise timber tower will be a sustainable powerhouse

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Nachteiland will incorporate significant amounts of greenery on its exterior
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Nachteiland will incorporate significant amounts of greenery on its exterior
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Nachteiland will be located in Amsterdam’s burgeoning Sluisbuurt neighborhood and will rise to a height of 70 m (almost 230 ft)
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Nachteiland will incorporate a base building that will be made up of several blocks positioned side-by-side
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Nachteiland will harness more electricity than it requires using its roof-based and facade-based solar panels
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Nachteiland's interior will consist of 22 floors and 153 apartments
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Cutting-edge timber high-rise construction continues to move into the mainstream with projects like the Mjøstårnet and Ascent. MVRDV and Space Encounters now offer an example that's more impressive than most with the Nachteiland project, which will combine sustainable building materials with enough solar panels to harvest more energy than it requires.

Nachteiland will be located in Amsterdam's Sluisbuurt neighborhood, which is currently undergoing development. It will include a base building that will be made up of several blocks positioned side-by-side.

The tower proper will rise to a maximum height of 70 m (almost 230 ft). The interior will consist of 22 floors of residential space and host 153 homes, with the decor showing off the natural beauty of the timber.

Structurally, it will largely be made up of timber, however concrete will also be used for the structural core and the columns of the tower up to the sixth floor, to anchor it, so it's classed as a hybrid timber tower. MVRDV reports that 61% of the construction materials will be natural, while a further 13% will be recycled. The exterior will also feature significant greenery.

Nachteiland will harness more electricity than it requires using its roof-based and facade-based solar panels
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Like the recent SAMIH project, the facade will be made up of building-integrated photovoltaics, which essentially function much like standard solar panels but placed on the facade instead of the roof. The greenery filled roof will sport even more solar panels, combining to allow the building to produce more energy per year than it requires, according to the firm. Presumably the surplus will be sent to the local grid but we've no confirmation on this yet.

"The project sets ambitious targets for energy production and consumption," explained MVRDV. "Tall buildings are often difficult to make energy neutral due to their relatively low roof surface area available for solar panels. However, in the case of Nachteiland, the building-integrated photovoltaics more than make up for the difference. The building is therefore energy positive, producing 3.03 kilowatt hours per square meter [10 sq ft] per year more than it uses."

Nachteiland is currently underway but we've no word yet on when it's expected to be completed. It's being developed by Locus Real Estate Development and Miss Clark, with Delva Landscape on landscape architect duties.

Source: MVRDV

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4 comments
Jinpa
Orkin should make a fortune on the termite-protection contract for this structure.
pbethel
Have any of these buildings caught fire yet?
Fires in steel and concrete high rises are so destructive and the structures themselves are fire proof.
Username
Wooden planters have a tendency to rot.
TechGazer
The existence of planters is worrisome, since leaks happen.

To Jinpa's comment, there might not be termites at that latitude. Carpenter ants, maybe, but I think they're easier to protect against.

To pbethel's comment, timber structures may be safer in a fire (depending on design). Checking online you'll find plenty of photos of twisted steel beams, while wooden beams in similar fires are merely charred a bit. Building fires are often fueled by the contents (plastics, etc), but if the wood is treated with retardent and/or covered with air blocking material, the wood should maintain strength far longer than steel would.

My question is how necessary it is to have concrete cores? Can't timbers do the job?