First of 2,000 flexible affordable rental homes now ready in Rotterdam
Several dozen flexible apartments are now available to be rented out as affordable housing in Rotterdam, the city said in a statement on Friday. The five-storey apartment building on Persoonsdam in the Feijenoord district is made up of 44 homes, part of the city’s push to bring 2,000 flexible apartments on the market all across the city.
Project developers have created the homes with sustainability in mind, using rainwater collection systems, solar panels, and high-quality insulation. They have a low carbon footprint in general. Over 500 people signalled their interest to live in one of the Feijenoord units.
They are intended for young adults up to the age of 28 who have completed their studies and are working, but who do not yet have their own residence. They are also meant for others with an urgent need for housing who are already based in the area. A maximum of one-third of the homes will be reserved for refugees granted residency status who want to live in the second-largest city in the country.
The goal is to provide some relief on the housing market, particularly for those young people looking to get started with their lives away from their immediate family. “Too many working, young Rotterdammers still live at home, while they would love to live independently. With the flex homes we offer them their own home.”
The flexible homes are mainly social housing rentals, and most of the 2,000 new units are prefabricated apartments being constructed in advance in a factory. “As a result, they can be placed quickly at various locations in the city. The homes will remain standing for about fifteen years,” said Construction and Housing Alderman Chantal Zeegers. They can also be dismantled more easily and relocated.
Those living in a flexible home continue to accrue credit for placement into a more permanent rental home. The Feijenoord apartments range from 21 to 64 square meters, and are meant either for single people or small families.
Another 40 flexible homes will be constructed around a courtyard in Hoogvliet this summer. Similar projects have begun in Delfshaven, De Esch, Oud-IJsselmonde, and Nesselande, the city said.
