White Arkitekter part of winning team for The Erven

The Erven reimagines the traditional Dutch farmyard through four distinct courtyards – or erven – each with its own theme: Ontspan (relax), Groei (grow), Maak (create) and Speel (play). Homes, gardens and green spaces are woven together into a living neighbourhood where people, nature and architecture coexist in harmony.

We have played a leading role in the process, responsible for supervising the architectural team and designing several buildings, in close collaboration with SeARCH, Space&Matter and Atlas Architects, while DS Landschapsarchitecten shape the overall landscape design. The project is developed by Timpaan and Blauwhoed, together with sustainability experts Merosch and other local partners.

The buildings are constructed in cross-laminated timber (CLT) with timber-frame walls insulated with bio-based materials such as straw and wood fibre. Facades are clad in natural and reused materials – including wood, reed, hemp fibre, lime and recycled aluminium sheeting – giving each courtyard a warm, tactile identity. Many roofs are covered with reed or timber shingles, and most combine green roofs and solar panels to enhance biodiversity and local energy production.

Experience from Stockholm Wood City, the world’s largest urban timber development, has been an important inspiration for the Erven. Both projects share the ambition to create climate-neutral neighbourhoods where people, materials and nature are part of the same circular ecosystem.

Circular principles are integrated throughout the design: foundations use recycled concrete and gravel, structures are modular and flexible to allow for future adaptations, and each courtyard features an “ecozolder” – an attic space designed for birds and bats.

The Erven are also designed to be CO₂-neutral over time, featuring energy-efficient buildings, heat and cooling recovery systems, and mobility hubs that combine bike parking, parcel delivery and shared electric vehicles.

When complete, the Erven will be more than a group of houses – it will be a living, inclusive and circular neighbourhood where architecture strengthens both the climate and the community.