Our environment is under pressure due to the exhaustion of natural resources. Together with our clients, Kevin Veenhuizen Architects wants to address this urgent issue and make positive contributions to this growing problem. We have developed a working method that implements sustainable techniques together with inspiring design.
We design for people, families, children, friends and pets; always focusing on their needs. We also focus on the unique opportunities each site provides. Our designs are not standard, but are determined by your needs and our vision. Sustainable closed loops are formed regarding the building’s lifecycle, materiality and energy systems allowing us to build your dream home in a truly sustainable way.
Generic architecture 1.
A ‘’one size fits all’’ approach results in standardized architecture that ignores existing features of the site. A generic building or catalogue home could be placed anywhere for anyone. It is not linked to a place or context and does not recall any spatial or social aspects.
Linear lifecycle 2.
Conventional projects tend to be developed for only one lifecycle, which leads to an unsustainable cycle of demolishment or abandonment of existing buildings which are then replaced with new development. The amount of waste that is created, and the grey energy that is spent in this linear process, is avoidable.
Standardized Comfort 3.
Catalogue houses are designed for unknown users without any personal design brief. Assuming that every client has the same basic needs, standard solutions assign no particular value to any specific needs.
Standard building performance 4.
Buildings have always met certain regulated standards. For example, there are standard insulation value for walls or the expected use of energy resources to heat a building. However, the standard we use today will soon be outdated. Sustainability is also about preparing our buildings for future standards.
Consumption of energy 5.
Consuming resources such as fossil fuel, natural gas and drinking water to supply the entire system of a household or building is not sustainable. These resources are limited and are already becoming scarce.
High energy bill 6.
Energy prices are rising. Consuming energy from supplying companies will result in an increasing monthly energy bill. Furthermore, being dependent on those companies means no control over your energy costs.
Unsustainable sourced materials 7.
Using materials from non-renewable sources, with long-distance delivery, or even toxic components do harm to our environment and our health. Short-life products generally are disposed after use, creating unnecessary waste.
Carbon emission 8.
A combination of standard building performance, consumption of non-renewable energy, unsustainable sourced materials and a linear lifecycle result in a high carbon footprint of the building, both for the construction itself as for its use.
Our Closed Loop
1. Site Specific Architecture
We design with sensitivity to spatial and social context. Paying attention to available features within a location, we identify the aspects that we can include in a site-unique design, taking advantage of the context. Through the precise selection of form and material, the architecture naturally adapts to the genius loci, the spirit of place.
2. Circular lifecycle
We design buildings with a closed loop in mind. Our researched-based design method considers the whole lifecycle of the building, starting from analyzing the project to advice our clients to build something (partly) new, or to develop strategies of renovation, modification, intervention and transformation. When renovating we aim to preserve existing qualities. In new constructions we close the material, energy and waste cycle. Meaning, we look further than just the construction; we look at the complete lifecycle of the building including the use and maintenance and try to minimize waste.
3. Personal Comfort
We design for people, families, children, friends, pets, and everyone else. Architecture reflects who we are and how we organize our lives. Considering this, there is a great potential to create architecture that expresses personal aspirations. Unique solutions place the user in a central position to turn functional desires into joyful architecture.
4. Optimized building performance
We design efficient buildings that provide concrete solutions for visual, thermal and acoustic comfort. In our engineering work we apply a combination of old design principles and new technologies to create healthy and sustainable living conditions. Through our systems, layouts and constructions we always seek for synergies that result in an optimal building performance.
5. Resource collection
We design buildings that collect natural resources like solar energy, wind and rainwater. Hybrid systems turn those resources into usable energy for our daily use, provide natural ventilation and grey water systems. As these resources are renewable, we should celebrate their abundance.
6. Low energy bill
We design buildings with low energy costs. Collecting free and renewable natural resources turn a house into a power plant. Hybrid systems could generate enough energy to become self-sufficient, or even become a source of income if the energy production is greater than the use.
7. Sustainable sourced materials
We design with building methods and materials that are most appropriate for their use. Every building situation requires a different strategy, but in general we aim for eco friendly materials in their most natural form with long lifespans that can be reused or recycled. In addition to obtaining sustainable materials, we also carefully apply material in order to archive a high aesthetic quality.
8. Environmentally friendly
We design in harmony with nature. We implement our buildings into the environment; therefore they should respect and add value to it. We pay attention to low carbon footprints making relationships between architecture and environment friendly and with minimal impact.