Maximum non-workable weather   (17th of February 2010)
The persistent coldness is resulting is delay for the building process. You can ice-skate on the floors. It is not possible to process concrete and assemble plastic piping. The delay is estimated at 4 weeks at least.

Aluminium facade design   (8th of December 2009)
The contract with the main contractor is signed. Now it is time for some details in the design. During a visit to a supplier of aluminium window frames, we concluded that blank anodized window frames with its more natural appearance are the best option for our facade design (in stead of the more artificial powder coating option). The consequence is that the facade panels next to window frames require the same anodized finishing.

Visiting factory of prefabricated concrete elements   (7th of November 2009)
The production of the prefabricated walls has started. We visited the production site where one of the subcontractors delivers the first walls. The quality is more than OK: nice light concrete and perfect flat surfaces. Within a few weeks the first walls will be shipped to the building site in order to be assembled as first floor walls.

Foundation is finished   (30th of October 2009)
The structural work made good progression. The foundation is ready and the first walls - from the houses to the parking lot - are also aligned and assembled.

Building of foundation   (18th of September 2009)
The subcontractor for the structural works makes good progression. The coming weeks the shape of the construction field and the floors will become visible. Meanwhile the installation drawings are finished, and that is about time since this drawings are required for the preparation of the prefabricated concrete walls.

Looking for the right type of wooden facade elements   (5th of August 2009)
After listening to the many (often quite contradictory) stories about paint systems, we concluded that there is really no invisible finish that will stop the wood from coloring gray. We prefer a natural finish of the wooden cladding and the best option seems west african afara wood. This wood is very durable and does not need to be finished with a paint system.

Building permit!   (22th of May 2009)
Today we received a letter from which we could conclude that our building permit is a fact! It is important since the construction start is coming closer. But we heard that a possible fall-back is applicable when the permit is not issued yet, being the vertical storage of the piles in the ground (!). Probably it is possible in the Netherlands to get round by changing the name of your activity! Furthermore we are now officially the owner of the parcel. We bought the ground from the project developer Nieuw Leyden.

Meanwhile on and around the building site   (28th of April 2009)
The drawing sets with regard to the building permit does also include a drawing of all facade in the street. It is a simple grayscale visualisation, but it will give an impression.

Ground probes   (11th of April 2009)
This week the probes of our building site are executed. These basic measurements are necessary in order to determine to the carrying capacity of the ground and calculate the types and amount of piles. Although the probing activities do not result in visible benefits, it feels good that there is some action already on the building site!

Tendering casco of house   (11th of March 2009)
In the last weeks the coordinating architect, construction engineer and architects worked hard to get all the documents ready for the tender of the casco (supporting parts in the house). To avoid disagreements afterwards with contractors it is essential that such documents are well-thought and complete. Meanwhile the documents are sent to several possible contractors in order to ask for their proposal. And the same procedure will follow for the installations (heating, water and electricity) in the house. No shortage of action!

Building site is shaped   (12th of February 2009)
The digging off of a ground layer in order to prepare the building site has started. The building site is almost visible. In the background you can see the houses of the previous project phases of Nieuw Leyden. Most house of the first phase are delivered yet, including building field 16 .

Concept request for building permit   (16th of January 2009)
Recently the concept version of the request for a building permit is submitted to Nieuw Leyden for a quick check, before it is send to Leiden. The drawing set is largely identical to that of the Definitive Design, but also includes additional detail and cross section drawings, the connections with the neighbors, electricity facilities, piping system, escape routes, and specifications for the break-in and fire prevention.

Boiled wood without maintenance   (6th of January 2009)
Like many people we are not waiting for the maintenance of the facades. Wood was therefore not the most obvious choice, but there are enough possibilities with very little maintenance effort. The profiles that we have chosen (FSC certified) are Platowood, which means that the soft wood is boiled under pressure and baked afterwards. By this treatment the wood becomes very durable and therefore maintenance free. Nevertheless the wood needs to be painted directly in order to avoid greying.

Seeing the light   (29th of December 2008)
To determine the location of your lighting points, you should basically know which types of lighting you will apply there. An aimable spot will probably be placed in a different location than a hanging lamp. Someone told us about the existence build-in armatures. In most cases it concerns lamps which are mounted in suspended ceilings, but there are also types which can be placed in a concrete wall or ceiling by means of an installation box and plaster kit. Nice stuff! Of course, the right build-in dimensions of the cavity are a must. After some research we found even (much more affordable) variants without installation boxes, that can directly be screwed into the cavity after the ceiling is finished.

Less is more   (20th of December 2008)
Althought we are very happy with the floor-plans of the house, the architect comes up with the proposal to omit the wall near the stairs, and integrate it in the wall in the rear house-front. The result is more space in the dining area, (even) more light and more flexibility for the layout in the rear area of the first floor. After seeing the renderings - where the two options are put together - the advantages are clearly noticable. Good idea here! The back is obviously a little thicker, but it will be hardly experienced.

Electrical plan   (6th of December 2008)
The request for a building license is nearby and for that we will use drawing which are near-estimate ones. The main additional element compared ot he Definitive design is the final detailing of the connection with the neighbors. Furthermore the installations must be subscribed at some level, including sockets, switches and lights. And this seems to be an intensive job! You do'nt want to find out it afterwards that all could have been much more convenient ... When in doubt: additional sockets are not a bad idea.

Costs update   (26th of November 2008)
In order to see how it all goes financially, we sent the Definitive design of the house to a costs calculator for a building elements estimation. With this kind of calculation you can approach the real building costs, althought of course no influence of market forces is taken into account. The calculation is very detailed and all materials, working hours, lifting movements, etc. are in it. All costs are divided into three main blocks: casco, wind and water closed and finish.

Virtual building   (18th of November 2008)
It is no longer expected that significant visible changes will occur, and therefore it is useful to capture the house in Sketch-up so that we can admire it in 3D. You can not wish a better program for it: in one evening the complete house including furniture is created! The 3D model is really useful to see how the furniture will effect the rooms and how much space is left. And making the 3D model (dimensions copied from the architects drawing set) you will encounter every inch of the house, so even the smaller mistakes will be remarked.

Roof hatch   (14th of November 2008)
From the beginning of the project a large roof terrace is an item in the program of demands. Initially our plan was to use a small building construction to enter the terrace. Soon this proved a fairly costly solution for only an access to the roof, and also it is difficult to integrate it with the design of the facade. On the other hand, we wanted no concessions for the accessibility to the roof in order to avoid that in actual practice there still is a threshold to go to the terrace. The alternative: a roof hatch with a fixed stair underneath. The stair is an equivalent to the other stairs and the roof hatch is -in contrast to what we previously thought- a proper and practical part of the terrace.

Integration of ventilation grilles   (5th of November 2008)
In order to meet the Dutch energy consumption standards, request-controlled ventilation lattices are applied. Compared to normal lattices they are larger and more visible from outside. But a trick of the architect makes them almost invisible: a folded aluminium plate is mounted over the lattices and has exactly the shape of the wooden facade profiles. The color of the alu plates will be exactly the same as the aluminium window frames.

Window frames in real life   (31th of October 2008)
It is always good to have some of the elements of the house seen before the design is really frozen. Photos and drawings give only a limited impression. For the windows and folding doors, this is possible in the showroom of a supplier in the neighborhood. The exact type of frames which is applied in our design is available. The window frames are good and robust and (even in real life) extremely smooth. Beautiful details: there are no external seams visible from outside and even the hinges are fully integrated in the profile and invisble! In terms of color, we must still make the choice between silver anodized or coated. Regarding sustainability both options are similar, the difference is mainly found in the slightly more natural look of anodised frames (extrusion "scratches" are still visible light and they are more shiny).
With the foldable doors it was impressive to see how compact they can be folded, and that such a set of heavy doors can fold that smooth and light. See here some pictures of the windows and folding doors in the showroom.

Definitive Design delivered!   (17th of October 2008)
This week the architect finished the Definitive Design (floor plans, house-front views en technical details). Compared to the Temporary Design the floor plans are further optimised, and the completely new design of the house fronts is translated to a technical feasible solution. The next steps are getting a new costs estimation and the bilateral adjustment of the houses in the field. In the meanwhile the coordinating architect is working on the parking lot.

Building field of Definitive Design models   (14th of October 2008)
Yesterday evening there was a meeting with the building field. Most of the principals had their models with them, so once agian we were able to create the streets on scale. Fortunately variation is not lacking. Every possible house-front material is present and the differences with regards to floor plans and sizes are maximal!

Model of Definitive Design completed   (11th of October 2008)
The tinker stuff can be put away. This model was completed in just half of the time compared to the model of the Temporary Design. The main reason for that the cutting of the floors was easier since all floors have the same dimensions.

Building a new model   (6th of October 2008)
Next week the Definitive Design should be finished. The architect is busy with working out the new house-fronts and detailling the design. On the basis of the floor plans - which are fixed already - we are able to start working on the new model.

Foldable doors   (1th of October 2008)
Already from the beginning of the project, a lot of light was one of the most important demands. The sun shines on the back-house front from the beginning of the afternoon, and so especially the kitchen become sunny (and that's no coincidence!). The architect comes up with the option of foldable doors. In one movement it can make an opening of four meters. The idea will be part of the Definitive Design.

Kitchen to the opposite corner   (26th of September 2008)
For us the kitchen is one of the most important elements in the house and its influence on the first floor is significant. The kitchen ideas we had (see announcement of the 13th of August) has some issues we could not solve: the dinner table did not have a logical position, the kitchen was not really integrated with the living room and we preferred to apply only low cabinets in the complete kitchen. It took some time, but finally it all became clear: we had to place the kitchen in the opposite corner of the first floor! For the dinner table a niche was created and we were able to make the kitchen a little longer so no higher cabinet were required. The only disadvantage was that the concrete countertop isnot realistic anymore since it is improssible to get a flat one for 5 meters...

New housefronts!   (20th of September)
With a 'strips division' as a starting point and wooden profiles as the housefront material, the architect has redesiged the appearance of the house. The glass area is decreasing from botttom to top, and for the wooden profiles it is just the other way around. Central located are the windows which can be opened. See here a first quick Photoshop action for giving a first impression of how this looks in a street, and here to see it in a 1:50 model. We like the symmetrical and smooth composition of it.

Housefront u-turn   (23th of August 2008)
The housefront will be adjusted extensively, and for two reasons: after observing the model we want to get rid of the angles in the facades and we have the reduce the glass area in order to meet the energy consumption standards and reduce the build costs. Meeting the energy consumtion standard requires extra measures in the house. Probably we will choose for request-controlled ventilation lattices, but balanced ventilation and also a possibility.

Concerning the housefronts: less glass area means another window division and abandoning the logical and clear division of the Temporary Design. After viewing the alternatives we decided to stay with the 'strips division' of the facades (all windows are clearly horizontal orientated). Since the angles in the house-fronts are gone, the plaster material becomes a little bit boring. This can be solved by switching from plaster to wooden profiles. We saw lots of succesful examples, this option is open!

Kitchen design   (13th of August 2008)
Before the walls will be frozen in the design of the house, it is useful to check the kitchen design in more detail. We investigated lots of variants and the best one is a straight kitchen unit against the wall, with a rinsing island of approximately 2 meters long and with two bar seats included. The material choice is not so important yet, but already interesting to think about. A concrete countertop is considered, maybe a self-made one. Let's see what will be left from this idea after making a test piece.

Consequences of meeting the energy consumption standards   (30 juli 2008)
From our first energy consumption calculation (made by the architect) it was concluded that extra measures are required to meet the standards. Especially the large glass area in our design has a negative influence. It can be compensated by for example request-controlled or self-regulating ventilation lattices. Request-controlled means that the lattices and air absorbing functionality is switched on when CO2 level is above a certain value. Self-regulating lattices work independant from wind pressure on the lattice and give a constant air circulation.

Wood or aluminium?   (23th of July 2008)
In order to keep the build costs within the budget, we will reduce the amount of glass in the house-front design. That decision automatically results in re-consideration concerning the window-frame material, house-front division and design elements. Slowly we get more and more interested in aluminium window frames. They have several relevant advantages compared to wooden ones: easier integration with plaster, easier integration with ventilation lattices, a better isolation value and maintenance friendly (no painting). When we decide to loose the louvre-panels the choose seems not very complicated...

Costs estimation   (20th of July 2008)
Before we can make conclusions from the costs estimation (delivered by an architectural advice agency), some interpretation must be done. The calculator did include a rather large margin: several unitprices were almost 200% higher than current prices which are valid in the first phases of the project (and is real executed work). We do want to take into account a sufficient safety margin, but it must be a realistic one. Together with the calculator and the architect we discussed the costs estimation adjusted some assumptions. The result was a realistic calculation of the expected build costs, which was a sound basis for conclusions. It was clear that we are not building to the budget... The main reasons for it seemed the rather large glass area's and the louvre-panels with accompanying construction. Conclusion: cost reductions should be found in the mainly the housefronts.

Last actions for earlier project phases   (12th of July 2008)
For the most principals in the earlier phases of Nieuw Leyden, the building process is almost finished. The first householders are already spotted! The surplusses of building materials are slowly leaving the site and house-fronts are getting more and more visible. See here a couple of pictures.

Building field in scale 1:50   (6th of July 2008)
This monday the phase for the Definitive Design started. Nieuw Leyden gave a presentation about the sequel of the project, and kept repeating the importance of budget control (building costs) in this phase. Under-estimating results in troubles at the end, and over-estimating will reduce the design freedom.
Most of the principals have their model with them, so it is possible to make a building field on scale. The empty spaces are filled with realistic alternatives!

Model is ready   (28th of June 2008)
The tinkering is finished. See here some photo's of the finished model. It is cool to see your future home on scale. It gives a good impression of the amount of light the windows let pass (which is a lot...!).

Making a model   (18th of June 2008)
In order to evaluate the rooms and the appearance of the house-fronts, we manufacture a 1:50 model of the house. The angles in the house-fronts make it quite a complex job. The windows in the model are made of thin plexiglass plate material, and the window frames, louvre-panels and door are printed on paper and fixed on the basis plates of the house-fronts. We are suprised by the convenience of working with foam board for models (Depron: light weight polystyrene plate). The outer walls are fixed with small nails and for the most inner walls glue is used. One floor can be made in one hour. Click here for the photo's of the current status.

Delivery of Temporary Design!   (11th of June 2008)
The set of drawings of the Temporary Design is sent to Nieuw Leyden: see the visualisations and technical drawings. We are very happy with the result, all our demands are taken into account: a lot of glass, open rooms, the terraces, the location of the kitchen, etc. But we also see some items that can be improved, nevertheless the basis of the design is perfect for us!

What does it cost?   (31th of May 2008)
In the Temporary Design the biggest influence on the costs are specified (like dimensions, inner walls, materials, stairs, amount of doors, basis assumptions concerning the installation, etc.). Since our budget is not endless, it is a sound moment for an estimation of the costs. On the basis of the results the design can be adjusted.

Almost Temporary Design   (16th of May 2008)
The last issues for the floor plans are solved and the most important decisions for the house-fronts are made. The status is ready to be captured in the Temporary Design. In and around the louvre-panels a lot of functionality is integrated: prevention for falling out of the window, invisible integration of ventilation lattices and possible integration of the door bell and letter box. While the architect is delivering the Temporary Design, we can explore the pro's and con's concerning the two main options for ventilation: natural ventilation with lattices and balanced ventilation.

House-front variants   (7th of May 2008)
All points for discussion for the house-fronts are translated to 5 variants. The main variable is the width of the windows. Tthe last variant is the most different one with an alternative division of the windows. The third variant has the best fit with our demands. The house-front is symmetrical and calm. Behind the louvre-panels the windows can be openend. Falling down out of the window is prevented by the same panels. We only have to find out how the panels can be (partly) opened, so it is possible to have a completely open area in every room in the house.

Sustainable building   (29th of April 2008)
This monday we had a field meeting. A presentation was given about sustainable building. Not a lot of news unfortunately, the most important was that we will recieve an application which helps determining the effects of measures like isolation, ventilation, heating system, materials etc. on the (Dutch) Energy Performance Standard. In the project Nieuw Leyden a more stringent standard is applied and meeting the standard will take some extra effort.

Furthermore there is a lot of progress, also with the association of principals. The constructor is selected and the building system is chosen (prefab concrete).

Artlantis   (21th of April 2008)
In order to get good insight in the appearance of the rooms and the different views of the house fronts, the architect works with Artlantis 3D software. This software can read 3D models (for example AutoCAD and Google Sketch-up) and with the right adjustments concerning light and materials, almost photorealistisch visualisations can be obtained. It is easy to navigate throught the house. We now use a trial version at home in order to explore the house (see here for some look-throughts and housefront views).

Housefront concepts   (18th of April 2008)
Today we already had the thirth design meeting with the architect. On the agenda are the facades. The architect starts with the proposal not to design a relatively flat frontage but to add relief in every level by applying an angle or curve. (see this visualisation). We think it is a nice directionto work out. Furthermore there is more than enough discussion about the division and sizes of windows. We prefer a very clear appearance of the housefront, but it also has to match with the floor plans on the inside and the desired panorama effect of a housefront-wide windows. Literally more than fifty possible variants for the division of the windows are drawn by the architect, and we choose the best options together. We prefer large windows (the visualisations still contain small ones), possibly combined with 'louvre panels'. Within one or two extra sessions with the architect the Temporary Design should be finished.

Housefront materials   (9th of April 2008)
The ideas about the the housefront materials get some direction already. It was very helpfull to determine what was absolutely not desired. Bricks, zinc/aluminium panels and all exotic options will not be taken into account. Bricks are too boring, metal panels too technical and exotic options too expensive. The remaining possibilities are plaster and wood (or a combination of both). For now we will focus on these options, and try to combine them with our desires about maintenance, our budget, and the ideas about the appearance of the facades. We will see where we stand with the third design meeting with the architect.

Beauty from inside   (29th of March 2008)
The second design meeting with the architect was about the housefronts. The positions in the house are at the right level for now. The starting point is to really design the house from inside to outside. The architect made simple renderings in order to show how the spaces inside will be experienced. It is obvious to see that a facade-wide window (panorama) gives an enormous spacious effect to the room.

Let's start with the housefront. A lot of choices to make here and (fortunately...) also some restrictions. Which materials do we like? Window frames deep or evened compared to the housefront? Symmetry or arbitrariness? Wooden or aluminium window frames?

Together with the room divisions it is a nice challenge to find a successful solution! In several magazines and books we find attractive examples, mostly housefronts of white plaster and (partly) wooden profiles. A horizontal orientation of the windows seems the best solution for the inside of the house, but for the outside we are still less enthousiastic. On the other hand, it is now a more touchable assignment for the architect to work out. Within three weeks we will discuss the first proposals. In the meantime we will search for examples of facades with a horizontal orientation of the windows.

Prefab concrete or chalk sand stone?   (19th of March 2008)
The first version of positions of rooms and stairs in the house is still standing, and the architect have send the accompaying drawings. It really meets our demands and all considered alternatives are unmistakeable from a lower level. Next week we will start with the design of the housefronts, the first idea's are already present.

The association of principals is thinking about the building system, the skeleton of the houses. With the complete field we those one system. There are two options: chalk sand stone (photo right) and prefab concrere (photo left). Prices are more or the less identical. A big difference is that in chalk sand stone it is simpler to assemble cables and tubes. In prefab concrete all tubes are already integrated in the factory. But the advantages of prefab are significant: a more decent finish, no/less cracking and a better stability of the walls (which means that more open spaces are possible).

First time right?...   (11th of March 2008)
Finally it is time to get serious about the ground plans of the house. In the first design meeting with the architect it is clear that the inside of the house is leading, and the outside will follow. The main influence is the positions of the stairs. Taking into account a total floor area of approx. 150 m2 (which meets our budget) it seems obvious to place the stairs straight above each other. In that way an efficient traffic zone in the house will be created. The next point of attention are a coarse division of the rooms and the locations for the main tubes and pipes.

Finally we find an ideal mix between light and open rooms, efficient usage of the floor area and lots of storage possibilities. The ideas are translated in very simple sketches (own work, visualisation of the architect will follow soon).

Dry swimming almost behind us   (5th of March 2008)
And before you actually realise it, your are one month ahead and it looks like that little progress has been made. But that is not really true! The first design meeting with the architect is planned and we have given the order to deliver the Temporary Design. The last weeks we modelled a lot of 'trials' in Google Sketch-up, just to get insight in the possibilities and get an impression of the interaction with the direct environment.

Kick-off!   (12th February 2008)
The field (association of 18 principals) has started. The kick-off was an exciting moment since you see your future neighbours for the first time. It is clear that everyone is really motivated. The project manager of Nieuw Leyden tells about the risks, important milestones and restrictions of the project. The first milestone will be the delivery of the Temporary Design. Within a few months the complete field will be simulated with models!

IJburg, Amsterdam   (3th of February 2008)
As real architecture tourists we walked throught Ijburg, one of Amsterdams newest area's. It has a lot of similarities with Nieuw Leyden. The area contains many 'self-designed' houses and all different kinds of front materials are present: from yellow mozaiek tiles to zinc plates. It's the ideal place to get a first impression of the possibilities.

>70% sold   (26th of January)
The kick-off meeting with the field is planned and that means that at least 70% of the parcels in the field is sold. That's good news, because inadequate sales would definitely lead to months of delay. Now we can start directly! At this moment we are busy with chosing an architect. Within a few weeks we have three introduction conversations and hopefully three quotations. Before the conversations we need to prepare a program of demands in order to describe our expectations of the house. The most important demands are light and open spaces, a spacy kitchen which is a part of the living room, a large storeroom on the ground floor and a large terrace on the roof. The appearance of the facades is still unclear.

Being busy   (10th of January 2008)
Now the contract is signed we can start with the creative activities. Altought it will be the responsibility of the architect, it is fun and good practice to draw some houses yourself and get some feeling for the possibilities. Google SketchUp seems to be the perfect tool for it! Within an hour it is possible to draw a complete house. And last but not least: it is even possible to determine the shadows on the terraces by adjusting the position of the sun!

Start!   (8 januari 2008)
A good moment for the first message: we have just signed for the project en from now on the project has officially started! There is already a lot of work to do: finding an architect, describe most important demands and wishes, and the kick-off of the field (of principals) is in the beginning of February.