• Project: architecture
• Program: housing
• Client: OBR Rotterdam
• Design: Bart Goedbloed, Harmen van de Wal,
• Design Garden: Hélène Hoelzl
• Presentation model: Silvijn van de Velden
• Working model: Gert-Jacob de Graaf
• Built area: 250 m2
• Location: Rotterdam, Nesselande
• Start design: may 2001

The houseintheShed is a new housing type for private plots. It combines the comfort and austerity of a modern house with the rough-hewn charm of a converted farmhouse. The houseintheShed consists of one simple volume: a box with slanted sides enveloping the house like a loose fitted skin. At the first-floor level, a central “chunk” is removed, and this cutaway section contains a living room with a splendid view over the surrounding.

Future residents will be able to give full reign to their territorial instincts here. People who live in it for an extended period of time will see the changes in their life reflected in the building. To facilitate this evolution, the structure is divided into a house containing the living room, master bedroom and kitchen, as well as a shed. The oversized shed creates space for an exiting play area for children, a garage, a boathouse or studio. Extra rooms can also be added, or a separate house for live-in parents.

But scope for change is not confined to the interior. The exterior, too, can be completely replaced. Like a Smart Car or a Nokia mobile phone, the houseintheShed has a highly flexible design that allows the occupant to select his or her desired style and finishing. While the structure is static, the exterior appearance can be changed simply by replacing the house’s skin. Options are ranging from timber boarding, like a real shed, to canvas sheeting or glass.

Tags: architecture, private house, sustainability