In 2011 Kleiburg – the last original honeycomb style apartment block – was all but dead. It was empty and dilapidated. The owner at the time – the Rochdale housing association – did not think there was a future for the building. In their opinion and the opinion of others there was only one option for this apartment block, namely demolition. We had a different view because, by contrast, we believed Kleiburg had a bright future. A new future which not only the apartment block and the new residents would benefit from, but which would also give a positive boost to the entire neighbourhood. Since then, the transformation of the apartment block – into the largest ‘DIY home’ project in the Netherlands – has turned out to be a huge success. In 2017, the transformation was even awarded the prestigious EU Mies Award and the Dutch Design Award.
Type
Residential
Commercial
Social
Size
66,000 m² gfa
502 DIY homes
Website
Awards
EU Mies Award 2017
Dutch Design Awards 2017
Partners
Developing parties
Architects
Contractor
The idea: a DIY apartment BLOCK
We acquired Kleiburg from Rochdale and transformed it into a DIY apartment block which became known as ‘DeFlat’. This decision turned DeFlat, in one fell swoop, into the largest DIY project in the Netherlands. Future residents were able to purchase a home for a very reasonable price and renovate it to their own tastes. Our idea gave creative people and DIY enthusiasts the possibility of literally creating their own dream home. It turned out to be a huge success. The new residents immediately set to work with tremendous enthusiasm and created a new life for a once dilapidated apartment block. The fact that so many residents were involved in the renovation work created a feeling of togetherness among them and the positive energy that they channelled into DeFlat had an effect on the entire local area by giving it a positive boost and by taking social cohesion to a new level. The once dilapidated apartment building was given a new future.
The Kleiklooster
Giving people freedom leads to wonderful initiatives, as the Kleiklooster bears witness. The residents of six apartments have come together to form a Protestant community. They live partly on their own, but also spend time together. Just like monks and nuns, they meet every evening to reflect and pray. Neighbours who need help or a chat are always welcome to visit the ‘community room’. Besides setting up a community, the people behind the initiative have also started a brewery, which they refer to as the ‘Kleibier Brewery’.
We deliberately try
to make contact
with our neighbours
‘To a certain extent, we are just like any other community’, explains Johannes van den Akker. ‘However, we primarily want to offer a service. That can be quite difficult to do if you live in a traditional house because you may have the tendency to focus only on yourself. We deliberately try to make contact with our neighbours. People have to know where to find us.’
Recognition
DeFlat became an example of what thinking outside the box can lead to. As a result, it did not go unnoticed. In 2017, DeFlat won the prestigious EU Mies Award. In addition, in 2017, DeFlat was nominated for the BNA Best Building in the Netherlands, in the Social Cohesion category, and it was crowned grand winner of the Dutch Design Awards 2017!
Roadmap
- Start of sales
- Sold out
- Winner of the EU Mies Award 2017
- Grand Winner of the Dutch Design Awards 2017
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Maart 2013 - Start of sales
Maart 2013In March 2013, the first phase (100 of the approximately 500 homes) of DeFlat Kleiburg were put on the market for sale. The DeFlat consortium had to sell a total of 70 DIY homes before 1 July 2013 in order to prevent the complex from being demolished. We now know that, happily, they managed to do this.
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Januari 2016 - Sold out
Januari 2016Well over 500 homes of the Kleiburg project were sold in less than 2 years – and that in the middle of a crisis. The DeFlat consortium has proven that this is possible, as long as the homes are affordable, flexible and available at short notice. Sales of the properties which make up the largest ‘DIY home’ project in the Netherlands started successfully in March 2013 and all the properties were sold within 2 years.
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Mei 2017 - Winner of the EU Mies Award 2017
Mei 2017DeFlat Kleiburg in Amsterdam won the prize in 2017. The architects were NL Architects and XVW architectuur and the commissioning party was KondorWessels Vastgoed. When awarding the prize, the jury placed the emphasis on quality and the importance of collective housing. For the first time, the prize was awarded to a project that involved renovating an existing building. The prize was awarded on 26 May in the Mies van der Rohe pavilion in Barcelona.
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Oktober 2017 - Grand Winner of the Dutch Design Awards 2017
Oktober 2017On Saturday 28 October, the Dutch Design Awards were presented during the Dutch Design Week. DeFlat Kleiburg by NL Architects and XVW architectuur was rewarded with the Future Award and was therefore the grand winner this year. It was also the winner in the Habitat category. The jury was unequivocal: ‘DeFlat Kleiburg gives a positive and clear signal that community building has a future. This approach opens up opportunities for the huge number of similar assignments at home and abroad.’