The Herperduin Project: Redefining the Relationship Between Architecture and the Natural Environment

Rethinking Homes and the Environment

There is something quietly radical about this house; it is not merely a human residence, but invites wildlife to occupy it when its owner is away. Located in the forest park near the Herperduin Nature Reserve in the Netherlands, an A-frame holiday home from 1984 has been transformed into more than just a weekend retreat. This transformation reflects a vision that combines human comfort with respect for nature.

A Partnership Between Design and Nature

Kumiki Architecture took on the task of expanding and renovating this classic triangular structure, working closely with the homeowners and an ecologist. The goal was to create a “biologically-based holiday home,” a concept that goes beyond simply minimizing environmental impact.

Architecture as an Active Element in the Environment

The result serves as an important case study demonstrating how architecture can actively contribute to its surrounding ecosystem. The design does not merely preserve the environment; it creates a shared space between humans and the natural world, redefining the relationship between people and nature in a sustainable and inspiring way.

Preserving the Original Character While Renovating

The original home, with its A-frame design, sharply sloped roof, and warm forest-inspired facades, embodied the charm of 1980s holiday architecture. However, the house needed additional space to accommodate a young family seeking to escape the city bustle and reconnect with nature during weekend getaways.

A Contemporary Extension of the A-Frame

Rather than altering the distinctive character of the original structure, the design team at Kumiki Architecture focused on enhancing it. The new extension follows the same A-frame logic, repeating the rhythm of triangular forms across two floors, thus preserving the home’s authentic spirit.

An Innovative Modern Touch

The standout feature of the renovation lies in the newly angled cut roof. This addition not only gives the design a contemporary character but also makes the house feel both familiar and refreshingly new, reflecting a balance between heritage and innovation in contemporary architecture.

Architectural Innovation with Respect for History

The angled cuts in the roof are not merely an aesthetic touch; they reflect a way of honoring the past while moving toward the future. The design preserves the original building’s language but speaks in a new tone that reflects the spirit of the era. The renovated roof was also equipped with wood fiber insulation and modern tiles, enhancing the home’s energy efficiency without compromising its core character.

Sharing the Home with Nature

What truly distinguishes this project is the integrated ecological plan developed in collaboration with an ecologist. The project goes beyond “green beautification” or mere consumer symbols of sustainability. The guiding principle was to share the home with nature, and this principle was applied literally.

Integrating Wildlife into the Design

To bring this principle to life, bird nesting boxes were built directly into the roof edges, and a “bat hotel” was incorporated into the facade. As a result, when the family returns to the city, birds, bats, and other creatures take over the house, making it part of the natural habitat rather than merely an intrusion. This approach redefines the relationship between humans and the environment, demonstrating how architecture can act as an active mediator in supporting ecosystems.

An Educational Experience for Children

For the family’s children, the house offers an unexpected educational experience. Living side by side with birds, bats, and other creatures, even temporarily, teaches them about the forest’s biodiversity in a hands-on way that no textbook or documentary can match. This approach reflects environmental education embedded directly into the design, transforming the home into an interactive learning space that fosters ecological awareness from an early age.

Architecture and Supporting Ecosystems

The methodology applied in this project represents a broader shift in contemporary architecture, where the goal is no longer merely to reduce environmental harm but to create buildings that actively support the ecosystems they inhabit. Construction extended from 2022 to 2025, relying on primary structural elements made of wood, reflecting the project’s commitment to natural and sustainable materials.

Location and Integration with Nature

The site itself is exceptionally beautiful. Surrounded by wild meadows, ponds, and sand dunes near the nature reserve, the house offers a landscape that feels like a world far removed from the city’s bustle. This location provides an opportunity to disconnect from screens and reconnect with the slow rhythms of nature. Here, architecture does not simply observe nature from behind glass, it encourages active engagement, making the home a vital part of its surrounding environment.

Kumiki Architecture’s Philosophy in Sustainable Building

Based in Amsterdam, Kumiki Architecture develops innovative building techniques aimed at creating net-positive effects on landscapes, rather than merely minimizing environmental impact. The Herperduin project embodies this philosophy in practice, demonstrating that there is no need to choose between human comfort and environmental responsibility, or between contemporary design and respect for architectural heritage.

Bringing Together Human Use and Nature

The A-frame angled extension enables multiple functions at once: a family retreat, a wildlife habitat, an educational tool, and a piece of contemporary architectural art. This approach reminds us that the best design solutions do not always come from asking the traditional question, “How can we reduce our impact?” but from asking different questions: “How can we share this space?” and “How can the old building continue a dialogue with the present?”

Design Reflecting Hope in an Era of Environmental Crises

Amid climate concerns and environmental crises, projects like this offer a model of hope. They demonstrate that living alongside nature, rather than apart from it, is not only possible but can enhance both human life and biodiversity. This vision represents a future worth striving for in contemporary building design.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Herperduin project can be seen as an intriguing experiment in integrating architecture with nature, offering clear benefits such as fostering environmental awareness in children, testing sustainable building methods, and creating a shared space between humans and wildlife. This positive aspect points to the potential of rethinking homes as educational units and as contributors to biodiversity, which could inspire future projects in similar environments.

However, some reservations arise when attempting to apply this concept on a larger scale or in different urban contexts. The design relies heavily on a rare natural site rich in environmental resources, which may be difficult to replicate in dense urban or suburban areas. Integrating wildlife directly into the building also presents challenges related to maintenance, controlling the indoor environment, and the behavior of residents in shared spaces with other creatures. Furthermore, it may be difficult to assess the actual benefit to the wider community, especially if this model is applied in multi-family housing projects, where residents’ interaction with nature differs from that of a single family.

From an architectural perspective, the project can be considered a model of a limited educational and field experiment, rather than a comprehensive template that can be generalized to all types of homes or urban contexts. Nevertheless, the project remains a rich source of reflection on how to rethink the relationship between humans and the environment and to stimulate innovation in sustainable building design, while carefully considering practical and environmental constraints when moving from concept to real-world implementation.