Building smart houses is how you do it: on top, in between, under

Architect Ellen Schild had been walking around with an idea for a long time. It matured into a conviction, after which she challenged herself to develop it into a concrete plan. She recently presented that plan in the form of a publication, "Deventer, EROP or ERONDER," subtitle: A plea for smart use of space.

She was once involved in the design of Langerak, part of the Vinex location Leidsche Rijn in Utrecht. Now she no longer works on this type of project. 'Building in the countryside is really not always necessary,' says Ellen Schild of architectural firm Studio Groen+Schild in Deventer. 'It would be very bad if we were to fill all the green areas in the Netherlands with new Vinex districts. And yes of course, the housing task is big, but we need nature very badly. The great thing is that even within urban areas there are opportunities to build housing. You just have to look through different glasses.'

Sustainability and climate goals

Schild did just that, and she developed the idea on her own initiative into a viable alternative for the city of Deventer. Depending on the intensity of the studio's regular work, it either shot up or slowed down. 'But I wanted to make this statement; share this view of building. Sustainability, emitting less CO₂, climate goals, green; I really see it as a mission to promote that. And it can be done! While cycling, walking and driving through Deventer, I - together with some colleagues from SG+S - mapped out where there is room for housing. You might think of some empty spaces in the city, but it goes further than that. A lot can be done!

The publication, which Schild presented to invited guests through a Pecha Kucha, describes all the ways of alternative urban expansion. Complete with photos of inspiring examples. 'Because none of it is new,' Schild said. 'Optoppen is now a well-known term in the sector, but examples of the other ways can also be found in the Netherlands.'

On, in

In the publication, Schild pays extensive attention to the five elaborations of smart use of space. 'I distinguish on top (i.e., up top), in, in between, next to and under,' she says. 'To start with the first one: in Deventer there are quite a few three- to four-story flats, built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. If you use a lightweight building structure with modular prefabricated timber construction there, you can put another two to four floors of housing on top. A great example of on it we are currently realizing ourselves in Hengelo. There we designed a hotel, apartments and offices on top of an existing school building. It is partly five and partly nine floors. This requires structural modifications and in this particular case the new structure is punched through the layers of the school building.'

Erin is option two and that includes vacancy. 'In Deventer, a district headquarters of KPN has been vacant for years. It is a large building, right in the center. Plans are currently being developed for this building to transform it into housing.'

Between, beside, beneath

In-building translates Schild in her publication as in-between. She explains, "Here we are talking about vacant land. If a company or industry leaves the city - such as the Roto Smeets printing company in Deventer - a large infill site is created. But even between rows of houses there is often space that can be used by erecting gatehouses, for example. You can also fill in a wide alley, as long as the passageway remains intact.'

The ends of flats are very often blind walls. 'Very suitable for building next to them,' says Schild, 'because usually there is a wide green strip around such a flat.' So the option next to it mainly uses the residual space in an area.'

Finally, there's below. Schild: "That may sound crazy, but even so, that too is a serious possibility. For example, our studio already transformed a clean water basement into a home once. But it is also possible to build (partly) underground, or to lift a square or piece of public green or sports field and build housing underneath. In this way you combine living with other functions, such as recreation and sports. These are usually somewhat smaller projects because with this form it is very important that enough daylight can enter the houses.

Deventer as an example

The idea of smart use of space to create housing within urban areas, Ellen Schild and her colleagues worked all the way out for the city of Deventer. 'We work (and/or live) here with great pleasure. All in all, while researching and taking stock, we came up with 4822 housing units, all of which we marked - by type and color - on a map in the publication. That's a considerable amount. And if we had included the cores around the city, which are part of the municipality of Deventer, there would have been many more.'

What does Schild hope happens next? 'The municipality's ambition is to build 11,000 homes between now and 2035. Some 6,000 homes are already planned, so that leaves 5,000. The best thing would be if we could develop (part) of our proposals. The contacts with the municipality are there, and we are going to talk further anyway as a result of the publication and its presentation. Who knows how that will turn out. It is not intended as a finger pointing exercise with the message: you are not doing a good job. It is primarily an inspiration document.

'My statement is: look at things in a different way, and as architects we can make that different perspective visible and represent it. Furthermore, I hope that this research can serve as an example for other cities and towns. And that in this way less green space will eventually have to be sacrificed for housing. Because you see," Schild says in conclusion, "the opportunities to add housing to the city and thus reduce the shortage are often closer than you think.