protruding windows bring nature inside spee architecten’s sustainable house in holland

the facade and sloping roof are finished with untreated bamboo slats that harmonize with the surrounding greenery.

christina petridou June 18, 2023 4 min

Spee Architecten completes energy-neutral SPEEHUIS in holland

In Oisterwijk, a rural region in the south of Holland, Spee Architecten has built a sustainable residential project with working areas for a family with three children. Called Speehuis, the project incorporates circular and bio-based materials, aiming for energy neutrality. The house is elevated, surrounded by a veranda made of bamboo slats and recycled composite materials. This design choice helps to blend the boundaries between the house and nature, providing easy access to the outdoors. To enhance this connection, the facade and sloping roof are finished with untreated bamboo slats that harmonize with the surrounding greenery.

The architects also incorporated protruding windows (dormers) on the upper levels, giving the spaces a sense of floating above the lush scenery. This arrangement and play of volumes create staggered heights and expansive openings, allowing ample sunlight and views to fill the rooms.

a contemporary & sustainable lifestyle that blends with nature

Creating a gentle connection with nature, the garden seamlessly merges with the surrounding forest, offering picturesque views. The design of the building uses verandas and awnings as connecting elements, bridging the office, home, and outdoor spaces to create a unified living experience. The dormers in each bedroom are integrated into the sloping roof and exterior walls, maximizing the spaciousness of the rooms. The roof and wall cladding blend harmoniously, cleverly concealing the guttering and water bars, rendering them invisible.

For the construction of the house, the architects at Spee Architecten opted for circular and biobased materials sourced from responsibly managed forests, allowing for easy disassembly and adaptation. The facade and sloping roof are made of untreated ‘high density’ bamboo slats, while the exterior walls and sloping roof feature untreated biobased bamboo cladding with a concealed click-fixing system for convenient dismantling.

The bamboo undergoes a process that involves compressing bamboo fibers and resin at high temperatures, caramelizing its natural sugar, and making it resistant to rot, suitable for untreated applications. The entire structure, including stairs, interior doors, desks, and cabinets, is made of sturdy cross-laminated timber (CLT), exuding a warm atmosphere.

The prefabricated timber shell, complete with recesses for systems, was constructed in just one week. The timber is coated with a UV-resistant coating, ensuring no discoloration and maintaining its light color. This robust timber structure is fully dismantlable, adaptable, recyclable, 30% lighter than concrete, and manufactured using renewable raw materials. Choosing timber as the primary construction material not only stores a significant amount of CO2 but also creates a healthier and more comfortable indoor climate.

The Speehuis utilizes 150m3 of spruce wood, resulting in the storage of almost 94 kg of CO2 within the building. This amount is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 103 households or the emissions from a middle-class car traveling 785 kilometers. Moreover, constructing the building using cross-laminated timber instead of concrete further contributes to CO2 reduction. The total CO2 reduction achieved through this choice is 140,082 kg, which includes the stored CO2 from the wood used. Additionally, the utilization of 9m3 of bamboo composite for the facade material allows for an extra 16 kg of CO2 storage. Alongside energy-efficient construction, the practice of storing CO2 within buildings presents a solution to the climate issue.