Residential house Lichtenberg

Project

294464

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS: existing completed examples

Project title

Residential house Lichtenberg

Full project title

Description

A new green residential area is being developed on the site of the former hospital "De Lichtenberg" in the Dutch city of Amersfoort. The area has a rich culture and is characterized by - for Dutch standards - very sloped terrains which were created during the ice age. House Lichtenberg overlooks the whole historic city whilst being next to the rural forests of the Veluwe. An authentic environment to create a unique nature-oriented home on the border of this urban and rural area.

What was the geographical scope of your project?

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Has your project won an EU prize?

Your project is fully completed?

When was your project implemented?

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes ?

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Please provide a summary of your project

A new green residential area is being developed on the site of the former hospital "De Lichtenberg" in the Dutch city of Amersfoort. The area has a rich culture and is characterized by - for Dutch standards - very sloped terrains which were created during the ice age. House Lichtenberg overlooks the whole historic city whilst being next to the rural forests of the Veluwe. An authentic environment to create a unique nature-oriented home on the border of this urban and rural area.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability (including circularity) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

As architects we consider it our task to handle our world with care. In every project we think carefully about origin and future, about demand and use, before and after, building and demolishing. The connection with mother earth is an important topic for us. We humans seem to want to conquer her, to shape her according to our own laws. But shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we love her and act in respect with her laws. Learn to live with the earth instead of against it? In that respect it is important to experience the vulnerability of our earth. We should see, experience, and accept earths vulnerability in order to maintain the quality of life on our planet. Architecture can have an exemplary role in showing this vulnerability. During the design of the Residential House Lichtenberg, we took up this challenge. Our dream came true to build with this awareness in mind. The house is materialised with a reed façade and accoya wood. The complete interior is cladded in pinewood including the walls, kitchen, dining table, beds, writing desks and stairs to create an integrated design. In time the natural materials at the inside and outside of the house are allowed to age naturally so that the passing of time can be read by the house. In this way we humans can reflect on the natural phenomena of the earth. We realised a biobased and energy-neutral home in a low-tech way by using natural materials and high thermal insulation values. This results in a home in which the residents can live comfortably and pleasantly! 

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

The detached Residential House Lichtenberg is located directly on the edge of the forest. The image quality plan of the municipality appealed to our imagination: 'All plans should be developed with attention to the location, they couldn’t simply be located elsewhere. They respond to the specific characteristics and qualities of the place.” The standard catalogue house is a stranger here! Our design is characterized by a sculptural building mass with a wide transparent plinth and a vertically oriented top that marks the top of the Berg. The contemporary architecture is crowned with traditional craftsmanship. The building mass is cladded in the natural and sculptural material reed. The facades are varied and rich of details. The transparent plinth is accentuated by vertically oriented wooden slats. The natural materials have a high quality and correspond to the character of the direct environment. The natural material reed has accompanied the residents from early childhood. We therefore wanted to show the reed to its fullest through refined detailing. The traditional reed wickerwork is made by a dedicated craftsman. The various details are carefully designed, in order that the metal eaves and water hammers can be omitted. The thatcher’s refined craftsmanship has become the architectural highlight of the house. The sculptural thatched façade has become tangible.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design, universal design, accessibility, affordability, etc.) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

We care about sustainable and social principles. Therefore, we choose to construct the house with local companies. The construction of the house is realised by a local contractor with local construction workers and craftsmen. The traditional reed wickerwork is made by a dedicated local craftsman. The thatcher’s refined craftsmanship has become the architectural highlight of the house and can be a beautiful example to create renewed attention to modern craftsmanship. 

Please explain how these three dimensions have been combined in your project.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary

House Lichtenberg is a sustainable, social, and aesthetically appealing architectural project. The house has a unique design that shows how we can use the natural material reed in a modern and sculptural way. The project is a showcase of how contemporary design can meet traditional craftsmanship. The traditional materials fit in the urban and scenic environment and will be completed by wildflowers and natural gardens in time. The unique combination of traditional materials and contemporary design results in a satisfying design, a proud craftsman, and a comfortable home for the residents.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

Nothing in live is definite, as is the house. The natural materials allow the architecture of House Lichtenberg to change and age naturally through time. The passing of the time can be read by the changing colours and materials of the house. Every hour of the day, every season, and every year the house will look differently. As architects we accept that the current state of the house is not permanent. In contrast to standard brick houses in the Netherlands that do not show any change in time, wood and reed alter through time. The project shows its respect for mother earth and by doing so, it allows the residents to reconnect with nature. This attitude is reflected by the location of the house: on top of the hill it overlooks the inner city of Amersfoort whilst being next to the rural forests of the Veluwe. An authentic environment to create a unique and contemporary nature-oriented home where we can can reflect on the natural phenomena of the earth.  

Please explain how citizens and civil society were involved in the in the design and/or implementation of the project.
Please also explain the benefits that derived from their involvement.

We care about social principles. Therefore, we choose to construct the house with local companies. The construction of the house is realised by a local contractor with local construction workers and craftsmen. The traditional reed wickerwork is made by a dedicated local craftsman. The thatcher’s refined craftsmanship has become the architectural highlight of the house. The benefits of local people is that they were really attached to the project. Every time they come by the house, they can be proud about their own accomplishments. The house can be a beautiful example to create renewed attention to modern craftsmanship.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addressed by providing local solutions

As architects we consider it our task to handle our world with care. We humans seem to want to conquer mother earth, to shape her according to our own laws. But shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we love her and act in respect with her laws. In that respect it is important to experience the vulnerability of our soil. We should see, experience, and accept earths vulnerability in order to maintain the quality of life on our planet. During the design of the Residential House Lichtenberg, we took up this challenge. The house is materialised with reed and wood. In time these natural materials are allowed to age naturally so that the passing of time can be read by the house. In this way we humans can reflect on the natural phenomena of the earth. The moment has come for architects around the whole world to accept and integrate earths processes in the design of our houses. We hope House Lichtenberg will have an exemplary role in showing earths vulnerability and the beauty of it. By doing so by providing this local solution we hope to inspire architects around the world.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project as compared to mainstream practices in the field of the project.

House Lichtenberg is a unique project in the field of Dutch housing design. The tradition of brick houses is widespread and deeply rooted amongst Dutch urban and rural areas. Because of this tradition the use of natural materials as timber and reed is often received with scepticism. Many people use the reason that wood and reed must be maintained and repaired more often than brick. With this project we try to show the beauty of vulnerability of mother earth. Isn’t it beautiful to see times change when looking at the house? The residents will grow older as does the home where they live in.

Please explain to the potential of transferring the projects’ results or learnings to other interested parties and contexts.
Please provide clear documentation, communication of methodology and principles in this context.

We hope you get inspired by the pictures and our story about House Lichtenberg. We welcome everyone who is interested in practical details and suggestions about the house to contact us. An important lesson we learned from this project is that you must be very persevering to reach your goals when building with unconventional building materials and methods. In our case the municipality needed to be convinced that the reed would be fireproof, and that heating wasn’t needed on the upper floors due to high insulation values. While using relatively unknown building materials and methods, you must persevere during the legislation process to get a building permit. Hopefully, the project can be an example for how low-tech solutions can provide in a sustainable and circular design. By choosing for low-tech solutions all the attention, detail and money can go to environmentally friendly materials instead of energy-consuming technical installations.

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