The chances of ending up in social housing made of wood in Brabant are increasing. Five percent of all new social housing in our county is made of wood. This is double the national average. This puts Brabant in the lead in the Netherlands. But housing associations want to go further. “Our goal is to make all new social housing out of wood,” says Jurgen Arts from Houtbouw Lente.
“We have a housing crisis and a climate crisis. In this context, it makes perfect sense to build with wood more often, because it is faster and more environmentally friendly. Under this name, eight housing associations in Brabant began working together three years ago to create more houses made of wood and wood. vital Building materials.
Results? More than 20 building projects across the county, totaling 1,000 new homes for social rent. One such project is STEK in Rosmalen. Six months ago there were only 30 wooden houses on the site in Groote Wielen, but now there are 120. “Having so many homes in such a short time is huge,” Aarts says. “We’re actually very proud of this, but it’s actually still very little when you look at the benefits.”
“We can build homes much faster.”
One of these advantages is that building with wood is much faster. “From the foundation to the bathroom and kitchen, everything is manufactured in the factory,” Artes explains. “We don’t need a building permit for that. We apply for the permit during construction, instead of waiting like with normal homes. This saves a lot of time.”
Once the permit is received, homes can be installed within one day. “On average, concrete housing projects take seven years from design to turnkey. Here at STEK we can create around 200 homes in just a few years.”
“Building materials come from plants and trees.”
There is another important reason why housing associations are focusing on timber construction. The government has ordered that the use of primary raw materials such as concrete and metals be reduced by 50 percent by 2030.
Not only wood is used in the construction of these houses, but other natural materials such as bamboo and straw are also used. “These materials come from plants and trees. They are better for the environment because they are renewable. This means that these materials can grow again or be created within a short period of time.”
Housing associations are often asked whether forests are cut down specifically for these homes. But this does not happen. Special forests and fields are created where natural materials are produced.
“It’s a very ordinary house.”
Brabant has become a leader in this style of construction, because the construction industry and local farmers are also helping. “We are seeing that farmers are becoming more popular vital To produce materials. The construction industry invests heavily in factories where wooden houses are manufactured.”
Future residents are also increasingly excited. “The most common comment when people look inside for the first time is: ‘Oh, but this is a very ordinary house,’” says Arts, laughing. “It’s good that more and more people are realizing that, because log houses are becoming the norm rather than the exception.”
On construction day Saturday 8 June You can visit five timber building sites in Brabant.
