Nestled in a meadow and situated along a creek lies this highly energy-efficient home with wide views over the surrounding garden.

HALCYON HOUSE
SUSTAINABLE HOME OOSTERWOLD

Location: Almere Oosterwold

Year: 2021
Size: 130 m2
Programme: residential, urban farming

On a 30 minute drive from Amsterdam lies the region of Oosterwold, a rural area just outside of the city borders of Almere. Oosterwold provides the unique possibility of creating your own dream home on a self-chosen plot of land. Future inhabitants are obliged to arrange everything themselves, from building (and naming) roads to sustainable sewage systems and other green solutions.

HOP has recently finished this sustainable home for a young couple. The house measures approximately 130m2 placed on a 2000m2 plot of land. To make sure the house limits its visual impact on the site the silhouette is softened by slightly tilting the walls of the first floor and by materialising the exterior in a way that will make the house blend in with it surroundings. The interior space consists of multiple voids connecting the private spaces with the kitchen, dining and living areas on the ground floor.

The client's dream was to live a much more self-sufficient life than they do now. They plan to harvest fruit and vegetables that they've grown themselves. They will become beekeepers, make use of their own sewerage system, have solar panels on the roof and will take care of a great variety of flora and fauna.

Besides the home itself, the plot will also house a shed, parking spaces and a pond to support the helophyte filter supporting the house.

See our reviews here

See another project in Oosterwold, the Little Big Bungalow, here

project highlights

we found a balance between open spaces and more intimate areas

by strategically placing voids varying in size we made sure the internal spaces have exactly the right sense of privacy and openness

we created a plan that would fit multiple possible future situations

we came up with a flexible plan that makes it possible to play around with the dividing walls making sure the house is future-proof and ready for any situation

we limited the visual impact of the building not to spoil the character of the location

we softened the silhouette of the volume by tilting the first floor walls facade materials were chosen based on the tones of the surrounding reeds