Energiehuis De Kaai

Energiehuis will be the first housing block to be built as part of the large scale urban redevelopment of the former Unilever terrain on the south banks of the Maas. In the coming years the former industrial site will gradually transform into a vibrant, high-density residential and commercial district with more that 1000 new homes.
The masterplan by Mecanoo aims to re-imagine the site’s industrial heritage by preserving iconic structures and by the introduction of new housing blocks with an industrial DNA.

Our project adopts the rational and transparent facades of the former printing house that was situated here. Its industrial DNA is strengthened by the use of corrugated metal in brown-red, the most used color for shipping containers in the world.

Additionally, we have incorporated the factory wall that surrounds the complex into the design. In its new shape, this brick wall is opened up and forms a robust buffer between the lifted outdoor spaces of the houses on ground level and the public sidewalk.

Programmatically, Energiehuis has a strong social agenda. It provides for a mix of 102 social houses, 58 houses for residents with light care needs and a care center for 20 people who need intense care.