Leiden, 20 May 2026 — After the successful collaboration on The BaanTower in Rotterdam, developer RED Company and Redevco, one of the largest private real estate companies in Europe, are joining forces once again. Together they are realising LEAD in Leiden: a leading and sustainable residential development that responds to the growing demand for affordable and future-proof urban homes. In addition, housing association Portaal is acquiring the 145 social rental homes in the project. With these two milestones, the financing and the social anchoring of LEAD are definitively secured. Construction, which officially started last year, is on schedule.
“With LEAD we show how Redevco wants to contribute to the housing supply in the Netherlands: by combining urban densification with quality of life and a focus on sustainability. With this project in Leiden we bring quality and affordability of living together. We also explicitly focus on social added value, by realising homes that contribute to a broader and more inclusive housing supply, including for the social rental sector. We are moreover delighted to enter into a joint venture with RED Company for the second time and so once again give a strong boost to urban development.”
The acquisition of the 145 social rental homes by Portaal is an important step in the socially inclusive ambition of the project. It gives a substantial part of LEAD Leiden a permanent place within the social segment of Leiden’s housing stock, and answers the great need for affordable rental homes in the city.
“We are delighted with the development of project LEAD in Leiden Noord, where we are adding 145 social rental homes to the city. The location forms the new entrance to Leiden and symbolises the urban renewal of this area. With this project we are realising sustainable homes for one- and two-person households, in a central location close to the centre and all urban amenities. With the construction of LEAD Leiden we can make 145 tenants happy with a new home in this beautiful project.”
LEAD is an ensemble of three state-of-the-art residential towers designed by Powerhouse Company. Located on the Willem de Zwijgerlaan, in the middle of a city park that is yet to be laid out, the project gives a powerful boost to the further development of the city. The design, which integrates sustainability measures, brings architecture, nature and community together.
“We are extremely happy with Redevco as a partner in realising ambitious, urban residential projects of high quality. We are now continuing the successful collaboration on The BaanTower in Rotterdam in beautiful Leiden. With Portaal as buyer of the 145 social rental homes, we deliver on the promise that LEAD is a project for all the people of Leiden: from first-time buyers to those moving up, from social rent to owner-occupied.”
LEAD Leiden
LEAD Leiden is a high-quality residential complex spread over three towers of 115, 85 and 65 metres high, designed by Powerhouse Company. The project comprises 580 homes, including 145 social rental homes, and a broad mix of rental and owner-occupied apartments. It combines urban living with various amenities, such as workspaces, a sports and wellness area with a yoga studio, a swimming pool, a general practice and a mobility hub. In addition, LEAD Leiden provides for a new public city park, which will form a green link between Nieuw-Leyden and Leiden-Noord.
Sustainability is a core value: LEAD will be fully electric, with an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system and solar panels. The two-level underground car park offers room for shared cars and vehicles, and the project encourages cycling through a direct cycle connection with the city centre.
Construction is carried out by the building combination of Construction Company and RED Bouw.
Project information
- Developer
- RED Company & Redevco
- Architecture
- Powerhouse Company
- Landscape design
- DELVA Landscape Architecture | Urbanism
- Contractor
- Construction Company (building combination of Construction Company and RED Bouw)
- Buyer of the social rental homes
- Portaal (145 homes)
- Advisers
- Van Rossum (lead structural engineer), SOCOTEC, Buro Bouwfysica, DGMR (sustainability), Nieman Raadgevende Ingenieurs, BREED Integrated Design BV, Movares | Zonneveld ingenieurs B.V., Spark parkeren, Aveco de Bondt, Adviesbureau Tielemans BV, DVP, ISIS Bouwadvies B.V.
- Legal advice
- DLA Piper Netherlands, Lexence, Dentons, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, BarentsKrans, EY
- Location
- Willem de Zwijgerlaan, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Programme
- 580 (social) rental and owner-occupied homes, underground car park, neighbourhood room, sports and wellness area with yoga studio, workspaces, general practice, commercial space, hospitality
- GFA
- approx. 71,500 m²
- Images
- Powerhouse Company
About RED Company
RED Company is a Rotterdam-based developer. We are driven by a constant search for quality and innovation in real estate development in order to maximise value: for the property, for the area, and also for our clients, users and investors. RED Company holds a unique position in the market by combining the complementary expertise of development, design and construction.
About Redevco
Redevco is one of Europe’s leading private real estate managers, with a portfolio worth €10.5 billion. Redevco’s mission is ‘building value for investors and enriching communities through transformative real estate’. Our specialised investment strategies focus on the transformation of retail property into mixed-use assets, investments in retail parks and logistics properties, and growth in the residential segment. Redevco Capital Partners focuses on opportunistic investment opportunities and Redevco’s real estate financing arm offers solutions for the financing of sustainable real estate projects. Our expert real estate teams in seven locations across Europe ensure that the portfolios Redevco manages are optimally aligned with the needs of our clients.
About Portaal
Housing association Portaal works every day on good and affordable housing, in districts and neighbourhoods where residents look out for one another and feel at home. We do not do that alone: together with our residents, municipalities and our partners in the neighbourhood we work hard on our mission, contributing to living well together. We rent a home to more than 95,000 residents in the regions of Arnhem, Nijmegen, Amersfoort, Utrecht and Leiden.
English translation of the Dutch press release of 20 May 2026.
