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(Archive) WoW House

A house that represents affordable freedom in a rapidly changing world

This project was part of DDW 2022
Het WoW House staat voor vrijheid — © architecten van Mourik

The WoW House offers residents complete freedom in terms of organization and layout. It is extremely durable, affordable, requires a relatively small footprint and provides the opportunity to grow your own vegetables. The WoW House is a statement for living in the 21st century.

Living in the 21st century

The changes for people, society and the environment ask for new alternatives on how we live. We no longer live like our parents and grandparents. Our lifestyles have changed, and so has the composition of our households. If our households are so different, why is there so little variation in housing typologies? This is why architecten van Mourik went in search of new typologies that fit various households, are affordable and energy neutral, and are future-proof. The result: an integrally designed, CO2 positive home that is very sustainable. The smaller footprint leaves room for collective gatherings at ground level. This is the WoW House.

Freedom

The house is adaptable. It offers residents and/or building managers complete freedom when it comes to the layout and design of the interior. Choosing a different type of staircase leads to a different typology and a different use of space. Also, it is possible for residents to create voids or to add floors. The layout can vary from a single-family home to a ground floor apartment, to a home for students or asylum seekers. If the demand changes, the house can be adapted accordingly. In short, it is not the house, but the resident who determines how he or she wants to live.

Affordability

The high-quality and optimal CO2 positive building system is designed with affordability in mind. This makes the Wow-house accessible to a large audience. The WoW House can be completely prefabricated and can be transported by road. The prefabrication makes the Wow-house easy to build, adaptable and, in the long term, circular as it can be brought back to the original materials. This keeps costs low, ensures high quality and reduces construction time to a minimum. The used materials and details make the Wow-house an extremely sustainable house.

In addition to the fact that the greenhouse on the roof can be used for growing vegetables or as a tropical surprise, it actively contributes to the air-based climate concept, resulting in the realization of an energy-neutral home. In combination with a roof terrace it creates an additional unique recreational ensemble.

The Wow-house is more than a place to live. It shows a statement for the self-confident resident who decides for himself how he or she wants to live and, of course, considers the interests of other people, society and the environment.

Gelijke ruimtes zorgen voor flexibiliteit — © architecten van Mourik

Van gezin tot woongroep — © architecten van Mourik