HA-HA Designs Modular-Timber System to Create Affordable Housing in Rotterdam
HA-HA Designs Modular-Timber System to Create Affordable Housing in Rotterdam
HA-HA, in partnership with BIK Bouw and Wooncompas Housing, will develop four social housing blocks for the community of Ridderkerk, near Rotterdam, Netherlands. The project uses materials from the existing social housing estate, built in the 1950s, and employs an innovative modular-timber system to create sustainable human-centered housing. The old buildings are planned to be disassembled and their components reused and integrated into the new development, which will increase the number of affordable units by 13%.
In order to achieve a degree of circularity, HA-HA has created a catalog or reusable elements. Examples of these are the window frames and doors, which will become community planters and seating areas, and the bricks which will be reused for landscape paths. The Rembrandtweg Ridderkerk development will also reuse the concrete structure and basement of the existing buildings as the foundation for the new modular units. The project works within the confines of the original footprint of the four buildings.
The design utilizes a prefabricated modular wooden system developed by BIK Bouw. The two different unit types are designed to have a span of 7.8 meters to align with the structural span of the reused basement. The modules will be assembled off-site, including wet walls and plumbing, and then transported to the location. This is an energy-efficient type of construction that contributes to the affordability of the design.
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The housing blocks are connected by a network of exterior walkways. The elevated sidewalks create the opportunity for each apartment to have its own terrace space, which aims to increase the opportunities for connections between neighbors. The design also hopes to increase the biodiversity of the area by integrating places for plants and animals and by including green rooftops to be used for water reclamation and energy generation.
Construction on Rembrandtweg Ridderkerk is scheduled to begin in 2024. HA-HA Design and Development, formerly HUM Design & Development, is a Dutch architecture firm specializing in the design and development of innovative housing solutions, and sustainable reuse. HA-HA’s other upcoming projects include Julianakerk, the transformation of burned-down church ruins into four housing units in Rotterdam, and the renovation of a historic farm building Bouwlust into offices in Ridderkerk, Netherlands.
