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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Designed by 123DV, the Bridge House in the Netherlands is set in a newly developed estate in the unique, tree-lined landscape of the Dutch Achterhoek, where unexpected scenes of rural beauty are always just around the bend.
Its setting is a wide-open space that frames the park, which blends into the landscape around it, and the property has been carefully restored to its original state. To make the soil less fertile, the top layer was removed and in the interest of sustainability, this soil was reused to form a raised area beneath the house. The result is a traditional Dutch terp dwelling, a house on top of a hill that contains the cellar. Sustainability inspired the design, and the villa is self-sufficient. At any time, the occupants can go off the grid without losing their energy supply. Water is drawn from a private well, and the practical and sustainable built-in features include solar panels, roof and floor heating through thermal energy storage, reuse of rainwater, a septic tank, shielded power cables, and Heat Mirror glass. This unique glass acts as an efficient and environmentally friendly awning, cooling the house and keeping out excess heat...
More photos and information at the article link...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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This building challenges the preconception of an exclusively formal climate for institutions of higher learning. Designed by BDG Architecten, the CAH University of Applied Sciences in Dronten (a school for agricultural studies) symbolizes a new educational vernacular. In line with BDG’s programmatic doctrine, the overall design of the building is driven by a strong sustainable concept with the efficient use of sunlight, rainwater and clean air flow.
The solution was a 16-m-high greenhouse, inside which two buildings provide space for both people and plants. The greenhouse functions as a huge air duct, regulating ventilation through an integrated smart climate system. Passive cooling in the form of solar blinds and etched-glass panels prevents overheating in the summer. Rainwater is collected and reused to flush toilets and to clean the building. The architects’ inside-outside juxtaposition of volumes. Composed of a skeleton of white steel trusses and modular glass panels, the outermost structure encompasses a pair of timber-clad buildings whose solidity cuts through the otherwise light-filled structure. The incorporation of vegetation at various places increases the flow of fresh air and further diminishes the sense of enclosure...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) is a truly innovative green laboratory.
From NIOO director Louise Vet: ”Ecologists... do high-level research on genomes and biodiversity, and I wanted the building to express this.” Thus, she chose Claus en Kaan Architecten, a Dutch architectural practice with a track record in laboratory design and challenged the architects to design a building that embodied cradle-to-cradle principles.
Claua en Kaan rose to the challenge with a variety of sustainable strategies. The linear building, 335 feet by 100 feet, has west-facing, sealed laboratories that manage heat gain via a deep brise-soleil. Windows on the east side are operable, allowing daylight and views of the surrounding environment, populated with native plants. Vertical light-wells span two floors; a core of support labs not requiring daylight occupies the center of the building. The building’s columns were spaced in such a way as to allow for flexibility in future renovation, which is likely to prove a key factor in its longevity, and a green roof shares space with a roof deck. Heating and cooling is handled via underground storage, making use of deep vertical pipes that store heat from solar arrays and the building at 984 feet below ground. A radiant, in-floor system circulates the warmed water through the concrete floors. Additionally, the building treats all of its own greywater on site, and releases it into the surrounding landscape.
The architects here are to be commended on this design, as green laboratories are notoriously hard to design. By embodying cradle-to-cradle principles — as well as tailored green build strategies — the Netherlands Institute of Ecology raises the bar.
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Villa 4.0 is a minimalist house located in Het Gooi, The Netherlands, designed by Dick van Gameren Architects. The prime purpose of the project was to create a home that was much more sustainable than its previous institution. The existing structure was extended & modernized with insulated walls and windows- walls at the center of the home were removed to create a new living room looking out into the surroundings. The renovation creates a bond between the home and the landscape with a glass pavilion at the living hall...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Pulgon Diseño have designed the Spanish Pavilion at Floriade 2012 in Venlo, The Netherlands. The construction criterion arose from the conceptual approaches that have resulted in the slogan “naturally diverse”, highlighting the importance of diversity and natural richness. Likewise, the idea Cradle to Cradle is also present in the exhibition, and the designed spaces will allude to cycles and continuity as added and essential values, in a modern concept of sustainability and of the use of natural resources. Some of the materials, serving both as support and as coating and paving, have had different previous uses: wood from fruit boxes, planks and wood from building works, demolition beams, sleepers. Others come from remainders of agriculture products such as nut shells or trunks from burnt forests. This way, the C2C remains unchanged, in terms of conceptuality and formality...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Linnaeusborg at the University of Groningen is a green building - literally. Not only is it colored green, but it has a green roof and features energy-efficient, smart, future-proof design. This zig-zagging horizontal tower is the new building for the Centre for Life Sciences of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University, which is located in the northern Netherlands. Designed by Rudy Uytenhaak Architectenbureau, the life sciences building holds space for laboratories, greenhouses, animal housing, offices, and classrooms all dedicated to biology, zoology, botany, microbiology, and biotechnology. Built around the principles of interaction, dynamism, and flexibility, Linnaeusborg is a high-tech facility with a decidedly green twist.
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Architecture with the quality and character of the surrounding green living environment – that was the starting point for a multifunctional building designed by Drost + van Veen in the suburb of Oosseld. The building, which comprises a primary school, a sports hall, café, care centre and community services, is the hub of Oosseld's new 'village campus'.
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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House S is located in Breda, in the southern part of the Netherlands. According to the architects, “the living area is raised above the surrounding land, so that the view on the natural environment is optimal. Further solidifying the home’s connection to nature, large floor-to-ceiling windows frame the view, while giving the house a light and transparent character. Since the residents are home workers, private and business rooms are separated in an ingenious way, where they touch but never cross. Providing a beautiful view on the environment and allowing for a bright, natural lit lower level.” With an inspiring architecture, an interior design that is both functional and elegant, and extensive views of the beautiful landscape, House S fits our notion of a clever modern home.
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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The city of Almere has a sheep population of about 80 sheep. The sheep are mobilized to keep the powerful weed “acanthus” or “bears-breech” that grows in the “vroege vogel” – forest and “kromsloot” – park in Almere under control.
To centralize and house this population, a sheep stable was needed. The stable is designed with an a-symmetrical homogeneous cross-section. The part of the building where the sheep reside is relatively low; the high part is situated above the (public) pathway and the hay storage section, making it possible to store a maximum amount of hay. This shape also creates a natural flow for the air inside the building, which is refreshed by two slits at the foot of each long side of the building. The detailing of the corner of the building, where the long façade ends and the gable starts, is extremely important for the overall experience of the architecture of this building. It emphasises the cross sectional shape of the building, and finishes the long façade of the building, which starts as a façade and slowly becomes roof...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Amsterdam-based Hofman Dujardin Architects, in collaboration with Fokkema & Partners, has helped sustainable energy company Eneco practice what it preaches with the design of its headquarters in Rotterdam. The 14-floor office has been operational since April, with employees enjoying one of the Europe's best workspaces.
The heart of the building is a central atrium surrounded by a light-filled meeting centre with a reception space, meeting rooms, working areas, informal meeting areas, lounges, restaurant, service desk and auditorium. Sun collectors on the south façade and on the roof track the sun throughout the day, absorbing the maximum amount of solar energy. The working and meeting areas are designed to be energetic islands floating on a white terrazzo floor. Some islands are open spaces and others enclosed for privacy but they are all executed with vibrant colours and materials. Those on the ground floor are red, purple and orange, while those on the first floor are in different shades of verdant green (meeting rooms) and blue (working spaces). The diversity of color and materials on the work islands are not only lively and inviting but give the different spaces specific identities and atmospheres that enable people to orientate themselves better in the office.
Learn more about the sustainable strategies incorporated into the design of this green office space at the article link...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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The Stripe House is an energy efficient and naturally daylit home in Leiden, The Netherlands and was designed by local firm, GAAGA. Encased in a handmade plaster facade and brightly daylit from a host of windows, the compact home doubles as an office and is very energy efficient by design.
Sited on a corner lot near a park, the home does its best to make the best of the compact plot. Three stories tall, the home creates space with vertical floor area, but still retains a small garden space from which to enjoy the exterior and the neighborhood, also providing a soft transition from public to private space as well as distance from the neighboring houses. The ground floor is used as an office, while the first and second floors are for the family. The first floor living space has an open living/kitchen floor plan, and two bedrooms and a bath are located on the top floor. A void between the living space and the bedrooms creates a connection via operable shutters. Large windows on the the three open sides of the home are oriented towards interesting views and fill the bright white interior with natural daylight. The exterior is very tactile with a beautiful handcrafted plaster facade created with linear molds. Beyond daylighting, the Stripe house is also a very sustainable house that scores well in several energy performance and environmental index calculations and labels- making it an efficient and beautiful example of innovative green design.
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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William McDonough + Partners, together with D/DOCK, designed a new office building for Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte (B/S/H/) in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. This flexible, innovative workplace includes many sustainable features, such as a full-height, four-story atrium with an indoor/outdoor Living Green Wall and Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) roof that maximizes energy and day lighting. A unique work environment is a welcoming place that radiates a sense of calm, open for everyone, everywhere and at any time. Optimal lighting, tactile materials, soft colors and flexible design elements throughout maximize the experience and well-being of the people and emphasize the open structure and the vision of B/S/H/ as a company...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Luxury, sustainability, space and comfort, this wellness Villa in Sealand, the Netherlands, has it all. The clients live in Rotterdam and wished a weekend house to relax and receive guests. The villa is located half a mile away from the North Sea coast, hidden in a tree filled area along the edges of the dunes. The orientation on the plot and the way the facades are treated, generate maximum privacy. Large glass facades and roof lights provide both daylight and view into the green surroundings. A 100m2 spacious living room has attached rooms for owners and guests, which creates a blend of loft, holiday house and hotel.
An open gallery on the upper floor gives access to a room that connects to the living room through a glass wall, but can be transformed into a fully equipped and blinded cinema room. The wellness area in the basement consists of a 12m pool and 3 saunas. The wellness area is directly connected to both the living area and the garden...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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De St@art (The T@il) is the new office and educational centre of the Apenheul Foundation and the Natuurhuis in Apeldoorn. Aside from its function as an office, De St@art will also serve as a centre for environmental education and as a meeting place for associations, business people, students and visitors. It has an underground auditorium for 350 visitors, two multi-functional rooms, a studio, an exhibition area and treatment rooms for the vets of the Apenheul in the building.
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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Near the city center of Groningen,The Netherlands, are the gardens of Tuinwijck. This green oasis between a railway track and the Helperzoom offers the inhabitants of the city a low budget possibility to create the most eccentric gardens. It is an ecological garden for the elderly, children and artists to enjoy...
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Scooped by
Lauren Moss
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The architects kept most of the old building intact and constructed a low maintenance residence: “Key points of departure were maximum reuse of built elements and materials already on site and the use of sturdy and proven techniques to achieve the lowest possible energy consumption.” Both the renovated and the new walls were insulated and the old wood window frames have been replaced with new aluminum – framed insulated glass walls.
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