Urban Climate Architects and The Urban Woods
The combination of the words "europallet" and "apartment" usually evokes furniture constructed in the spirit of DIY, or possibly moving logistics. The Dutch construction industry has a chance to change those associations. Urban Climate Architects and developer The Urban Woods will develop a 10-story high-rise with 102 apartments inside in Delphi. Those interested in the units must subscribe to rent, which the developer says is "rent 2.0."
The balconies will be made of recycled wood
© The Urban Woods
Dutch architects and developers are beginning to expand the ways in which recycled wood can be used as a building material. Urban Climate Architects ' project will be the first in the world to be constructed almost entirely ofcross laminated timber (CLT). The materials used in the building's construction will come from Europallets and and other wooden waste.
Pallet palace: recycled wood skyscraper by Urban Climate Architects.
Visualization of the facade
© The Urban Woods
Developer The Urban Woods is starting construction of a 10-story residential block in Delft. During construction, concrete will be used minimally; even the building's core, balconies and elevator shaft will be made of wood. The way the material is treated is expected to make it last for centuries.
About a million pallets end up in the trash. We will use them for great projects.
Tim Vermeend, co-founder of The Urban Woods, is enthusiastic.
The Circular Cross-Laminated Timber (C-CLT) panels are made from wood from demolished and discarded pallets collected in the Netherlands. The outer layer is made of ash wood. The result is thick, solid, round panels that meet European building codes and reduce CO₂ emissions. The process can be categorized as upcycling: discarded wood becomes a high-quality building product. The use of panels is an important step toward sustainable architecture.
Visualization of the wooden frame of a Dutch block of flats
© The Urban Woods
Dutch collaboration for sustainable architecture with CLT panels
This innovative solution is the result of collaboration between multiple organizations. Pallets are prepared by a local community group. They are then made into planks, joined with wedge joints and cross-laminated into panels. The {tag:pracownie} outlined the project, and The Urban Woods does the woodworking and then begins building the modern modular homes. Scientists from the Dutch institute TNO carefully examine the resulting product, classifying its strength and detecting metal residues.
Together, our industry can set a new standard. We invite everyone to follow in our footsteps.
says Sebastian Monteban, co-founder of The Urban Woods.
The project's creators predict that in the future it will be possible to build using only upcycled wood. CLT panels as building materials are inexpensive and can be sourced locally, saving both transportation and environmental costs.
Subscription to The Urban Woods apartment not for families and pets
The developer has also released a mobile app aggregating services that can be used by residents of the apartment buildings it has built. Apartment cleaning, laundry service, car and bike sharing, grocery delivery, storage for belongings and a guest room: all these offerings are gathered in one place and accessible with a few clicks on a smartphone. Renters can immediately pay for the benefit of their choice, while registration itself is free. The administration of the building is also done through the app. According to the developer's website, the caretaker or caretaker is even supposed to organize social events for neighbors and announce them on the mobile platform. Potential tenants, unfortunately, are not allowed to have pets or children: the apartment's subscription regulations explicitly exclude this. Rent-subscription starts at around a thousand euros.
Visualization of the WoodsApp app interface
© The Urban Woods
Ania Kociucka
[based on press materials from The Urban Woods].
