Samenbouw: self-build affordable housing

The design toolbox

Samenbouw is an architectural and social design project aimed at development of affordable homes. Samenbouw is an inclusive design toolbox, it includes a method and process of self-building a house and the co-creation tools for future homeowners, as well as designing a neighbourhood.

The building system

We talk about a system because to achieve our goal within the current situation, in real estate tension, we need to disrupt traditional ways of building. In addition to being a toolbox, Samenbouw is also a building system. It revolutionizes the construction process by rethinking and simplifying each step, enabling even those without construction skills to assemble their homes effortlessly, as if they were assembling furniture. It uses only bio-based and circular elements.

House #1 is under construction, 40 more to come…

The foundation, Stichting Samenbouw aims to build a neighbourhood of 40 homes in Brainport Smart District, in Helmond. With the help of Provincie Noord-Brabant we are currently building house #1, as a pilot project. The future resident, Michaelia, is currently build her own home without the involvement of a construction company, under supervision of Bygg. We monitor the construction of house #1 closely, to learn and improve the system. The location of the project is also Brainport Smart District. At our DDW location, Plug-in-City, the house prototype will be presented for the first time ever to the public in an interactive setting with the visitors. Samenbouw is an initiative by Bygg Architecture & Design and VDLP Architecten, with the support of Provincie Noord-Brabant and Gemeente Helmond.