
Architecture studio MAST is designing a floating residential neighbourhood in a disused dock in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, that will be fully accessible by boat. Comprising a series of interconnected blocks, the Spoorweghaven development will have 100 low-cost homes, commercial units and public spaces, alongside floating and rooftop gardens.
Integral to the proposal’s sustainability, MAST has collaborated with ecological engineer company Biomatrix to install 900-square-metres of floating reedbeds around the site’s perimeter. According to the studio, these reedbeds will work to absorb pollutants in the water – with the goal of rendering the dockyard safe for swimming while also supporting local biodiversity.
Click here to read more about MASTs project by Dezeen.
WoodWorks Issue – 19 Aug 2025
Welcome
Greetings from your WoodWorks team. To begin the team at Enovate in Auckland are keen to share that CLT on steel hybrid systems continue to be highly effective in terms of construction speed and cost-efficiency, even when compared to traditional steel and concrete structures. Next, check out Jasmax’s award winning AUT building. It is a lightweight timber building on concrete rafts that float on the poor soils.
A disused dock in the Netherlands is set to become a floating community with plans to use strategic planting to clean the water enough for swimming. In the North Dakotan badlands, USA the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential library is being constructed, check out the impressive construction photos.
Finally we have a fun and scientific team putting their own bodies on the line to answer questions about the strength of wood screws.
Happening on the 4-5 November is our national WoodWorks Conference. Come and join us in Rotorua to catch up on the latest developments in the mass timber industry.


CLT-on-Steel Frame

AUT project an award winner for firm

Largest floating housing development in Europe

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

