Havenlofts, Rotterdam | 70,000 meters of Canadian timber in Rotterdam Havenlofts

The facades of the eighteen Havenlofts in Rotterdam's Nassauhaven are made of the Canadian wood Alaska Yellow Cedar. To inspect this wood, Aad Hobo of Heuvelman Hout went to Canada.

"Our first idea was to supply the wood Red Cedar," says account manager Aad Hobo. "Because of limited availability, we went looking for an alternative, which we found in Alaskan Yellow Cedar. The fact that this wood naturally turns a beautiful even gray was the deciding factor for Public Domain Architects to choose it." In addition, this type of wood has the sustainable PEFC seal of approval, which was a requirement, and is nearly flawless.

To inspect the lots, Hobo went to Canada in early April 2019. "For this, I visited sawmills and suppliers. We made our choice based on availability: a total of 70,000 meters of lumber is needed for the facade of all eighteen homes."

Before Heuvelman Wood delivers the wood to contractor BIK Construction, the wood supplier handles the processing itself. "We make the wood to size in slats and beams of three different dimensions," Hobo explains, "and deliver this in a package per house and per facade. In this way, as a total supplier, we ensure that BIK bouw has as little as possible to sort out itself." Heuvelman Wood delivered the first Canadian lumber in September 2019, and Hobo expects the project to continue until the end of this year. In addition to the Alaskan Yellow Cedar, Heuvelman Hout is also supplying the spruce beams and OSB floorboards for the floorboards in these Havenlofts in Rotterdam's Nassauhaven.