housing in Almere
house construction with system in Almere
The Homeruskwartier is a new neighbourhood in Almere, set up with the aim to accommodate future clients' wishes. In 2007 an ambitious competition was organised for developers and architects to develop housing solutions for the different parts of the neighbourhood. Commissioned by housing corporation ‘De Alliantie’, our entry won the competition with the concept ‘Het rekkelijke huis’, an untranslatable Dutch expression for a house that is extendable, expandable and multifunctional.
| location: | Homeruskwartier, Almere |
| design: | prijsvraag 2007, bouwproject 2008 |
| realisation: | 2009-2012 |
| client: | De Alliantie |
| structural engineer: | Pieters Bouwteckniek Utrecht, Jaap Dijks |
| urban planning: | De Architecten Cie/Inbo |
| structural engineer and building technology: | Kooij en Dekker |
| contractor: | Bouwbedrijf Nordersluis |
| photography: | Moritz Bernoully |
‘Het rekkelijke huis’ is an untranslatable Dutch expression for a house that is extendable, expandable and multifunctional.
The client’s goal was to offer flexible and durable houses for a reasonable price. The competition entry was based on a manifesto-like text by Fred Feddes that describes the advantages of the spacious neutrality of many pre-war houses. He states that the idea of multifunctionality should contribute to the sustainable development of the usually merely monofunctional housing standards in conventional new housing areas.
For the competition we designed a flexible building system, a steel skeleton with "intelligent", thick floors, based on simple units that can be organized, expanded and inhabited in a multitude of different ways. Architecturally we focused on the consistency of the ensemble, consisting of simple, varied, box-like volumes in light colours and materials, gardens and green façades.
During the actual elaboration, the conceptual and technical ideas behind the scheme were adjusted to the limiting financial and architectural conditions of the housing market in Almere during a period of economic recession. In this process some of the original architectural and technical ideas were replaced by more conventional solutions - for example, the use of brick instead of lighter materials.
However, the main concept remains intact: the design still consists of simple elements that can be extended and adjusted to the client’s wishes. Construction started in 2009. In the meantime, a friendly, green neighbourhood was built in ‘our’ segment of the Homeruskwartier, consisting of approx 100 low-rise dwellings and one apartment block.
The final result is a friendly, green neighbourhood with subtle architectural variation.
