BiCQHuis: user-led customisation of existing housing stock
Many homes built prior to about 1970 now fail to satisfy current standards of comfort. BiCQHuis responds by replacing these properties one by one, quickly and at a competitive price, with new homes which meet today’s need for comfort, convenience and a personalised layout, design, style, living experience and finish. The BiCQHuis concept was developed by WeLL Design and Metzconsult, working closely with partners including Corus, GeNieConsult and the Building Innovation Project Centre at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (www.probi.hu.nl).
With the concept usually applied to terraced houses, the whole process from the beginning of demolition to completion of the new property generally takes only a couple of weeks. That is achieved by combining industrial design engineering, mass customisation, building physics and 3D CAD techniques as effectively as possible. The new home is durable, with a long life expectancy, but can also easily be dismantled into reusable basic components. As such, it is an excellent manifestation of the “cradle-to-cradle” philosophy. The BiCQHuis can be built as a “passive home”, is futureproof and is ideal for first-time buyers and private builds.
“BiCQHuis: from building to sustainable experience.”
WeLL Designs activities regarding this project included:
Co-Creation, Innovation, Visualisation, Trend Research, Strategic Design, Project Management, Design, Model Construction, Engineering, Prototyping, Testing, Supply Chain Sourcing
