In the Netherlands, many livestock farms are disappearing because of new environmental policies. What comes in place of the buildings removed? In Achterhoek, Team Tonbo has transformed what was once a cluster of unused barns into a compact, self-sufficient home surrounded by meadows and forest.
Self-sufficient system
The starting point for the design was the clients' desire to live closer to nature with less reliance on the grid: on conventional energy, water and utility systems. Part of the site was transformed into what the architects call a “food forest,” and the house itself was built from predominantly biobased and recycled materials: a timber structure, recycled brick, wood-fibre insulation, clay plaster and a wild grass roof. Thirty solar panels, located on the garage roof, and the heat pump provide energy for the entire home.
Volumetric design and materials
“We started the design with three connected volumes, each with its own roof, referring to the barns and sheds that once stood here,” Team Tonbo tell Archello. “Each volume has its own material and character: a living volume made of recycled brick, a sleeping volume clad in vertical timber, and a transparent volume containing the kitchen and dining area.”
The clients—a couple—wanted a home that was no larger than necessary. The three volumes achieve this while also crafting distinct areas. The slightly curved walls guide movement through the house and make the rooms feel like a coherent, continuous space. The use of glazing and the positioning of the home in the landscape gives every room a different view across the bucolic surrounds.
Orientation
“Because we wanted the surrounding nature to be experienced as directly as possible, the house includes large north-facing glass façades,” continue the architects. “This orientation prevents the house from overheating, while opening it towards the widest views across the meadows. The south, east and west façades are more closed, with smaller windows for protection from the sun.”
Interior design
All materials, colours, built-in furniture and detailing were developed together the clients. A long cabinet in the dining area also functions as a bench, its form echoing through to the building exterior. In the living room, a window is designed to sit in and look towards the setting sun in the west. A small round window allows views of the entrance from the bench. The toilet is unique with two entrances. A wall light emerges from the brick wall, shaped like a constellation.
Green roof
The three roofs are combined into a single folded roof that spans the entire composition. While not fully visible at present in the images, the roof has been planted with wild grass and flowers, developed with the green roof provider ZinCo. “At the moment the planting is still growing into its final form,” says Team Tonbo. “That process cannot really be designed—it simply takes time.”
This roof extends beyond the interior volume to create different outdoor areas, and to make the distinction between the indoors and outdoors less prominent. The architects have used different roof heights to create different spatial experiences: lower and more intimate around the veranda and dining table, and higher and more open in the living room, where the roof reaches 4.7 metres.
Water management
Rainwater from the roof is discharged directly into the landscape without visible gutters or downpipes, making rainfall visible and audible throughout the home. Underground reservoirs collect the water: one is connected to the heat pump system, while the other stores rainwater for reuse in the showers and toilets. [Dutch regulations currently do not allow filtered rainwater to be used as drinking water in private homes.]
