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High-performance Biobased home
Zeist

In the rural area of Zeist, on the site of a former farm, ATELIERFRONT designed a biobased and vapour-open house in which inside and outside flow seamlessly into each other. The house consists of two long barn-shaped volumes that are slightly lifted above the landscape and are surrounded by a chestnut wood deck.

The construction is built from larch columns and beams. Due to the generous roof overhangs and the meandering façade line, several outdoor rooms are created around the house. These places form an extension of the home and make it possible to sit outside at any moment of the day and in every season. Thanks to the careful orientation towards the sun, a pleasant balance between sun and shade is created, both inside and outside.

The house is constructed with vapour-open biobased materials, which ensures a healthy and comfortable indoor climate. Heat remains inside, while moisture can move outward thanks to capillary action. Interior walls made of clay brick add extra thermal mass and help keep the indoor temperature stable.

The durable windows and doors are made of platonised Fraké. Through the environmentally friendly process of platonising, Platowood window frames hardly shrinks or swells and is many times more stable than other wood species. This wood combines a warm, natural appearance with high quality and dimensional stability. Most of the wood has been applied untreated, allowing the material to weather naturally and blend beautifully into the surrounding landscape. Part of the wood at the outbuilding has been finished with oil.

The project received considerable international and national attention. The house was awarded Jury Winner at the Archello Awards 2025 in the category House of the Year (rural) – Medium. The project was also nominated for the Nationale Houtbouwprijs 2025, became a finalist at the MARCH Material Awards 2025 and was included on the longlist of the ARC25 Nieuwe Architectuur Award.

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