'Everyone deserves healthy, sustainable and affordable housing'

With Woodyshousing, developers Theo and Beate Bouwman are responding to the huge housing shortage in our country. The idea for the quick, healthy and affordable modular housing units came about in 2012, when their eldest daughter was looking for a room in Amsterdam. In vain, explains Theo Bouwman. "The rooms were too small, too expensive and sometimes didn't even have windows. However, there were several empty spaces available in the city, including in the center, that lent themselves perfectly to (semi)permanent studios."

At the basis of the Woody studio is a construction system with laminated and cross-glued wood (CLT wood). The studios can be stacked up to eight stories high as desired, without the need for additional structural provisions. "All modules are produced entirely in a factory and according to a standardized process," Bouwman says. "From the walls, floors and roofs to the water and sewer lines and electrical infrastructure. Major advantages of this are accuracy, repeatability and independence from weather conditions. Also, (production) processes can be monitored even better, which benefits the final quality. The 100% Winstallation concept from Attema and WAGO fits this perfectly. In our factory, two people assemble a studio. This means they deal with all disciplines. Also with electrical engineering. Because the technology is supplied pluggable and clearly coded from the distribution board to the socket 100%, they can assemble the components easily and exactly according to the standards. On site, all that remains to be done is to lay the project network up to the group box. In addition, the system can be easily connected to our Smartbox, with which the house installation can also be measured and controlled."

Smart installation concept

The first contacts between Woodyshousing and WAGO date back about five years, says Marcel Visser, prefab (pluggable) expert at WAGO. "This project is a very nice example of how we can add value at a very early project stage. Also in cooperation with construction parties. We put a lot of time and energy into supporting Woodyshousing, helping with product choices and providing various demos. We then remained involved on the sidelines during development, rollout and implementation. Together with Attema and assembler Erwin Rus of RKwadraat technical assembly, we managed to come up with a smart installation concept that is now used in every modular studio."

WAGO WINSTA® RD cables are used for power distribution in the Woody studios. "The choice of these cables was easy because of the standard locking on the connectors," Visser said. "In addition, because the cables are already integrated into the precast process, maintenance-free certification was important. Again, the WINSTA® RD cables meet this requirement." Bouwman: "Very pleasing is also the compactness of the cables, which makes them even easier to insert into the construction. Drilling a small hole is sufficient."

Completely unburdened

In the homes, WAGO's standard product range is basically used. Any customization is provided by the assembler, who has also assumed the role of supplier. Visser: "As a result, Woodyshousing always receives a complete package per home, completely relieving the builder."

In 2016, a prototype of Woody was placed at The Green Village; TUDelft's open-air laboratory. Two years later, two more homes were added and since then, projects are in the pipeline in Utrecht, Almere and Delft, among others. Currently, Woodyshousing is also working on a project in Katwijk, where 83 temporary homes for young people are being placed. "In many places in the Netherlands people are still trying to solve the housing shortage (temporarily) with containers," Bouwman knows. "But containers are for goods. Besides: why emit energy and nitrogen when it is not necessary? Our projects do not have any negative effect on the environment. Our focus is entirely on creating healthy and pleasant neighborhoods, where residents can live comfortably and where conscious encounters are encouraged. Sustainability plays an important role in this. We strive for a community where residents jointly generate energy, share electric cars and bicycles and organize activities with and for the neighborhood. This sustainability is also reflected in our homes, which are built in a detachable and circular way. From building system to pluggable installations. In the future - in addition to the Woody studios - we would also like to make linked homes possible, with three- or four-room flats, for example. For this, too, we are happy to cooperate with WAGO."