Grow to Build

Abstract

This project explores the problems of a lack of housing in the Netherlands, the inevitable city expansion in the future and the current linearity of the construction and agriculture industries. It aims to tackle housing needs through self-building and to establish a more nurturing and participatory connection between users and their environment through a regenerative approach to architecture. The vernacular building practices of the Hallenhuis in Drenthe are translated into tangible knowledge regarding materials, connections and tools as to propose a technical framework for a self-build design. The study is guided by the main question: How can we translate the relationship of Vernacular Architecture in Drenthe with its landscape to applicable knowledge for regenerative self-building in the modern context? In three chapters, the socio-economic roles and tectonic relationship of the Hallenhuis farm with their landscape, the opportunities and implications of a future regenerative production of building materials and the applicability of vernacular practices to modern self-building are discussed. The paper presents data on the geographical, material, economic, social and technical layers of the Hallenhuis typology and its surroundings. The evident relation between a regenerative approach and self-build architecture is accompanied by the complexity of problems and opportunities regarding the implementation of a regenerative building material network. The conclusions indicate further research is desirable and could consist of comparative studies across regions, quantification of environmental impacts and expansion of the field scope to food production, Urbanism or Landscape Design.