Under the large oak tree at the heart of the development sits a communal bench where residents can socialise. The land between the 56 homes is jointly owned, and the area features several smaller meeting places: planting areas, seating spaces and a greenhouse with composting machine.
Common Woods residential development lies on the edge of Nimmerdor Forest, south of the Dutch city of Amersfoort. The site previously housed a riding school, and when architect Lidia Egorova at Space & Matter first visited the site, there was no clear context.
”Since there was no built environment to relate to, we had to focus on how the architecture could interact with nature. That was a challenge in itself,” says Lidia Egorova.
The development is dense yet feels open and lively. Small gravel paths wind between the houses, and so-called boskamers – woodland rooms in Dutch – have been planted throughout the area.
“They make the development feel integrated with the forest. Since the land in the collective areas is jointly owned by residents, the woodland rooms also ensure that no one puts up a fence and claims the green space,” says Lidia Egorova.
Rather than large uniform volumes, the building bodies vary in size. This creates a dynamic and connects the different housing types, which also span different price brackets.
The façades facing the town are formal, whilst those facing the forest are more open and playful.
“We worked from the inside out, focusing on how nature is experienced from the home. This resulted, among other things, in large corner openings facing the forest.”
From loose timber to hybrid
Common Woods started as a modular construction project with timber stud frames. But after a protracted planning process, the project transitioned to a solution with prefabricated elements and different structural systems: the multi-residential buildings were constructed with concrete frames, whilst villas and terraced houses were built in CLT.
Yet the modular thinking still characterises the architecture. The horizontal and vertical division of the façades stems from the original modular logic.
“The geometry, the fragmentation of volumes, the details in the timber cladding – all of this derives from the initial plans. It brings the entire neighbourhood together under one architectural umbrella,” says Lidia Egorova.
The choice of CLT also proved to deliver a quality that the original loose timber-built modular solution couldn't have provided: the visible timber structure from inside. Meanwhile, the change of building system proved both economically advantageous and logistically simpler.
“Once we'd decided to change the building system, it was very quick to get the houses up,” says Lidia Egorova.
Since there's a lot of clay and little forest in the Netherlands, brick architecture dominates the country. But Lidia Egorova sees a change, driven by sustainability and circularity.
“Building in timber in the Netherlands is a relatively new trend. That's why we look closely at how you in Sweden use timber. We generally find the Nordic countries' use of timber in construction very appealing,” she says.
Property developer and client Maurits van Hoogevest, who himself lives in Common Woods, is on the same track and says the industry was quite immature when construction began five years ago.
“At that time, timber construction was still considered something new. There was uncertainty among our contractors and partners when it came to building in timber. This led them to add safety margins of up to 20 per cent to cover potential risks and extra costs, making timber construction significantly more expensive than traditionally built flats.”
The development's façade elements in spruce are inspired by Nimmerdor Forest's colour palette. The red façade paint reflects fallen leaves and the reddish trunks of pines. The brownish-black hue is taken from the forest's natural earth tones and shadows, whilst the beige tones complement the darker colours.
Bird boxes are also integrated into the façades. Their placement isn't random but follows a scheme based on ecological expertise.
“To promote different species in the forest, we took into account specific requirements for distances between nests and which compass directions the boxes faced,” says Lidia Egorova.
Cooperative housing and privately owned villas
Common Woods encompasses rental housing, cooperative housing and privately owned villas. The mix of different forms of tenure aligns with the country's housing policy. The proportion of social housing units is regionally controlled and based on what already exists in the region. In this project they comprise more than a third of the stock.
“The aim is to create a socially strong and multicultural community. With social housing we counteract segregation and ensure that people with different economic circumstances can live side by side in the same neighbourhood,” says Lidia Egorova.
A social housing flat costs around 800 euros per month, whilst the price for the most expensive villas amounts to around two million euros.
“We wanted all buildings to be perceived as equal. Regardless of price point, the timber should maintain the same quality, and the façade should have the same care. This placed high demands on us to find a common architectural language,” says Lidia Egorova.
Internally, the homes vary mainly in layout. Residents have had the opportunity to adapt their homes to their own needs. After completion, Lidia Egorova visited an elderly couple. Their flat followed the basic floor plan but was clearly shaped around their lives.
“You could recognise the original plan, but it was truly their flat. It was very satisfying to see.”
Give back to nature
Initiator and developer Maurits van Hoogevest grew up in a family that had been involved in construction and property development for five generations, but the family business went bankrupt during the 2009 financial crisis. With his visionary pilot project, he now wants to change the perception of property development.
“I call Common Woods a developer-driven eco-village. The project shows that you can bring the best of eco-villages' collectivist thinking into traditional property development.”
The residential area is integrated to give back to nature. Constructed wetlands, a nature-inspired water treatment plant that uses aquatic plants (helophytes) to purify wastewater and surface water, have been installed to reduce water consumption. Meanwhile, water from rain and water tanks is used in the communal greenhouse and gardens.
The neighbourhood is also designed for spontaneous meetings and to promote social cohesion. The fact that neighbours own the land together matters, believes Maurits van Hoogevest.
“Instead of profits from rising land values going to individual shareholders of a traditional developer, the goal is for profits to remain in the collective project.”
The common land ownership model in Common Woods has encountered some bureaucracy along the way, and it took eleven years to develop and complete the 56 homes.
But through the company Building the New, Maurits van Hoogevest is in full swing with his next project.
“Society is calling for solutions to the housing shortage. This model shows that society itself can help find solutions and drive housing development,” he says.
Text: Gustav Schön Photo: Riccardo de Vecchi
