Normally, architect and building biologist Nathalie Groot Kormelink focuses solely on designing buildings and renovations. But recently, she’s been working “just for fun” with a friend Jan Willem is building a barn. ““I’m running into things I never really thought about before.”
Nathalie, you’re building a shed?!
“Yes, Jan Willem wanted a shed—or rather, a place where he can do his work as a furniture maker. A workshop, basically. It’s pretty hard to find a contractor or carpenters these days, and besides, labor is the biggest expense on a project like this. So I said, just for fun, ‘Let’s just do it ourselves.’ He’s handy, I’m handy. And so now, in between other things, we’re busy building a shed in a backyard behind a house in a residential neighborhood in Enschede. And we’re really enjoying it.”
You build according to the guidelines of building biology—what are those again?
“Building biology has established 25 guidelines as a foundation for a healthy, natural, sustainable, and beautiful living environment. These guidelines are divided into five main themes: indoor climate, building materials and interior design, design and architecture, environment/energy/water, and the eco-social living environment. Building biology is characterized by an integrated approach, because everything is interconnected. In summary, you could say that building biology focuses on the relationship between architecture, culture, the environment, and people.”
Was Jan Willem immediately on board with that approach?
“We discussed it at length beforehand. Jan Willem is going to use the shed as a workspace. That means he’ll be spending a lot of time there each week. So it’s nice to have a comfortable indoor environment. It does cost a bit more in terms of materials (all biobased), but he immediately saw the added value, both for his own health and well-being and for the environment. The space is currently being set up as a workshop, but—with a few adjustments—it could easily serve as a tiny house or a “kangaroo home” in the future.”
Does it really comply 100% with the principles of building biology?
“Unfortunately, the roof insulation doesn’t. On a flat roof, you can’t (yet) really work effectively with bio-based materials. That has to do with condensation. You have to ensure that the dew point shifts so that no moisture gets into the material. That’s why, in addition to the wood fiber insulation, we had to add a layer of PIR. In total, the insulation is about 25 centimeters thick.”
Is the construction going according to plan?
“Fortunately, we don’t have a deadline and can plan the work ourselves. Jan Willem sometimes gets help from his father, and then things suddenly move along quickly. And if it rains, we throw a tarp over the roof (since it’s not waterproof yet) and postpone the work. We’ve already come a long way. The EPDM has been installed on the roof, but the edges still need to be finished. And then we’ll clad the facades with Douglas fir. That’s the best part, because that’s what gives the building its own character.”
What were the challenging parts?
“Not difficult, but exciting, I’d say. For example, getting the long walls upright was a challenge. For convenience, we’d prefabricated them lying horizontally, but we still had to set them upright. They were incredibly heavy, so we rounded up some neighbors to help. And then everything had to fit perfectly—that was nerve-wracking, too. Fortunately, it all worked out.”
What about the carbon footprint?
“It’s very modest. Where possible, we opted for bio-based materials, including wood fiber for insulation, pine for the timber-frame walls, and Agepan panels for exterior waterproofing. The window frames are made of Meranti, and we chose triple-pane glass. A no-brainer, since it was only a few tens more expensive. To minimize disturbance to the ground, six metal screw piles were installed to serve as the foundation. That’s the only part we didn’t do ourselves, by the way—a specialized company handled that. The entire structure—thanks in part to this type of foundation—is very easy to dismantle and relocate. It’s actually movable property, just like in the old days, when farmers would sometimes move their barns or even take them with them.”
Would you recommend that other architects build their own structures?
“Absolutely, because you learn so much from it. I’d already gained some experience building my own shed and porch, together with a carpenter, but we did this project entirely on our own. I’m running into things I’d never really thought about before. Of course, I draw where a window frame goes in a wall, but installing a structure like that yourself is really a whole different story. And so we couldn’t get the first window frame into place on the first try; we’d measured it too tightly. We tried to create some space with the sander. That didn’t work. Then Jan Willem gave the wall a good whack with a hammer, and it worked. And another thing: EPDM—does it have a top and a bottom? I didn’t know, but I have plenty of contacts I can ask. This project might not be moving quickly, but that’s okay. The fact is, every time we work on it, it makes us incredibly happy.”
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