Anniversary with a golden edge

Happy people, good housing, strong neighborhoods and a healthier world. That is the ambition of ERA Contour, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2024. "Together with our customers, we have been developing and creating neighborhoods and districts for six decades in which people can live and live well, happily and safely. We do that for all kinds of target groups and from new construction to renovation and transformation," says CEO Jeroen Heijdra. "In doing so, we have an explicit eye for sustainability, at all levels. We try to minimize our impact on the environment and are committed to healthy business operations. Moreover, we take numerous initiatives to train (young) talent and to help vulnerable residents find work. The B Corp certification we recently received for this gives these efforts as well as our anniversary year a nice golden touch. We are one of the first developing builders in the Netherlands to receive this designation. We are quite proud of that, but at the same time it feels very ordinary. It's in our DNA."

ERA Contour was created in 1964 from a concept to respond quickly and effectively to the post-war quantitative housing shortage, Heijdra says. "ERA stands for Van Eesteren Rationale Approach; a revolutionary industrial construction method from our parent company J.P. van Eesteren that allowed us to help large groups of people get affordable housing in no time. Between 1964 and 1973 we built more than sixty ERA flats, mainly in the Randstad, with a total of some 11,000 homes. Most of the projects were realized in cooperation with housing corporations, which wanted to increase their social housing stock. But also together with future residents, who, thanks to a large nave size of 7.80 meters, could lay out their homes in countless ways."

Attention and love

Following the ERA flats, ERA Contour started building other projects. In the 1980s this included project development, Heijdra explains. "In the mid-1990s, we also started doing concept development. At that time, the Vinex neighborhoods also emerged and we turned from projects on the outskirts of the city to urban renewal. In the midst of people and preferably in places that need a little attention and love. An important milestone was the urban renewal of migrant neighborhood De Horsten in Rotterdam-Zuid. But also the new construction of Le Medi in Rotterdam Bospolder-Tussendijken, which not only strengthened the neighborhood but also attracted a new (multicultural) group of residents."

The method, which involves (future) residents as co-producers, is still characteristic of ERA Contour. "In honor of our 60th anniversary, we visited several old projects and recorded videos in which residents underline this." As an example, Heijdra mentions an ERA flat in Zoetermeer, for which 35 floor plans were devised at the time. "The floor plans with 5% or more votes would actually be realized, which meant that in one flat we made as many as 15 house floor plans."

Little C 

A recent example of co-creation is project Little C. "On the Coolhaven in Rotterdam for years there was a desolate piece of no man's land, where once a parking garage and streetwalking zone dominated the streetscape," says Heijdra. "We have breathed new life into this place by creating a residential and living area where people feel comfortable and safe. With small-scale residential blocks, narrow streets and various squares, an intimate and, for the Netherlands, unique urban character has been created." 

SAWA

Also unique is SAWA; a revolutionary and 50-meter-high wooden residential tower on the Lloydpier in Rotterdam, with which ERA Contour proves that circular construction with wood is also possible in high-rise buildings. "The construction of the residential tower will save around 5,000 tons of CO2," Heijdra knows. "Moreover, SAWA should stimulate biodiversity in the city. Completion is scheduled for the summer of 2025, but already the project is a nice extra gem on our chain. The interest in this project is overwhelming."

Socially engaged

ERA Contour is a socially committed developer and builder, Heijdra emphasizes. "This becomes visible not only in our projects, but also in our course, which is founded on the pillars of happy people, good living, strong neighborhoods and a healthier world. Happy people refers not only to residents, neighbors and clients, but also to our own employees who enjoy working for us for a long time. A pleasant working atmosphere, attention to vitality and ample development opportunities make an important contribution to this." However, ERA Contour's involvement does not stop at the gate. "We regularly provide job application training. Through the platform of the Rikx Foundation, we also support social projects to help vulnerable residents of Rotterdam find work. We have also set up our own vocational school together with J.P. van Eesteren and with the help of TBI's practical fund, with the aim of increasing the intake of future construction talent. Also interesting is De Bouwpraktijk, an initiative that introduces people with a distance to the labor market to all the disciplines of construction, with the ultimate goal of them returning to the labor market in a sustainable way."

Good housing includes the development and realization of quality and affordable 100,000 euro homes, while strong neighborhoods mainly relates to social connection. Finally, the healthier world pillar focuses on the development and realization of low-energy, nature-inclusive and climate-adaptive homes and neighborhoods. But also on activating the chain to achieve the Paris Proof ambition. Heijdra also mentions the focus on biodiversity and circularity, using circularity, among other things, as a means to achieve significant CO2 reductions.

ERAflat from NOW

Among the above themes will become visible in the ERAflat van NU; an innovative housing concept that once again quickly provides affordable and functional housing. "As in the 1960s, we see an urgent need for affordable housing for starters, students, emergency seekers and the elderly," concludes Heijdra. "The NU ERAflat offers a quick and effective solution to this, while maintaining the quality and flexibility of the original ERAflats. But also fitting the current zeitgeist, in which small-scale living in the middle of the city, prefab construction, low construction costs and significant CO2 reductions are important themes." NU's first ERAflat will soon be built in Rotterdam.