Adaliahof is a 16-apartment residential development in Culemborg, the Netherlands, designed by Loer Architecten for housing corporation KleurrijkWonen. Developed using FLETTS’ 2D prefabricated timber building system, the project explores how industrialised timber construction can be applied to affordable housing while maintaining architectural quality.

The apartments are largely prefabricated in a factory and delivered to site as construction kits, reducing the amount of work required on site and shortening the construction programme. The primary shell is made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), replacing a more conventional mineral-based structural system with a renewable, bio-based material. Factory production also allows components to be manufactured under controlled conditions, supporting consistency and finish quality.

A bio-based façade

The building extends its use of renewable materials to the envelope. Dark-brown bamboo cladding wraps the ground and first floors. As a rapidly renewable plant-based material, bamboo stores carbon absorbed during growth while providing a durable external finish. Its darker colour also has an architectural role.

Limiting the bamboo to the lower levels visually reduces the apparent scale of the apartment building, helping it relate to the lower, pitched-roof houses in its surroundings. The upper storey is differentiated with thermally modified spruce finished in a light green tone. The timber is heated to approximately 200°C under controlled conditions, improving its durability and dimensional stability without conventional chemical preservatives.

Industrialised affordable housing

Adaliahof brings together CLT construction, prefabrication, and bio-based façade materials within a relatively small affordable housing project. Collaboration between architect, builder, and suppliers was central to identifying industrial products that could meet both cost and aesthetic requirements.