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Stackable community for The Netherlands

The first of 61 fully wooden cubic rental homes were placed in Amsterdam’s Centrumeiland district. As many as 30 of them will be affordable housing, reserved for teachers and care workers, which is part of the city’s actions to address a major teacher shortage. Sources: The Mayor, Timberbiz

The wooden homes are produced in a factory and delivered to Amsterdam from Uden. They come ready to live in and only need to be stacked in the right place with a crane, which makes assembly very fast. Moreover, according to the developer, the impact on the location they are installed at is minimal, with reduced noise pollution levels.

The units vary in size from a compact studio of 47 m2 to a spacious single-family home of 156 m2.

The development will use only sustainable and recycled materials and it will have a thermal energy storage system, solar panels on the roof with greenery for enhanced water retention. One of the ways the retained water will be used to flush toilets. Moreover, there will even be bat boxes to increase biodiversity.

The project named Juf Nienke will be one of the most sustainable apartment buildings in the Netherlands, incorporating an innovative cross-laminated timber construction. By using recycled materials exclusively, the apartment building is completely renewable with a low environmental impact.

Located on the south side of Centrumeiland, with water views on two sides, Juf Nienke offers a diversity of housing types to satisfy a diverse group of residents.

Prefabricated modules are paired together or stacked up, to create larger dwellings and are varied in depth within the building section to provide private exterior space for the residents.

A low block of single-family homes sits to the north, a tall, long volume of apartments runs along Muiderlaan to the West and a smaller volume runs along the Strandlaan to the South. Lazy stairs from both sides lead residents through the block to a raised deck, offering a quiet meeting space that overlooks the inner garden.

Alongside 7.500 m2 of natural timber housing, Juf Nienke will offer common facilities that enhance communication and collaboration. These include shared workspaces, a homework assistance space, workshop spaces and a parcel collection point.