Voorbeeldprojecten met een zeer goede milieuprestatie
Matchbox: eerste ontwerp in hout van KAAN Architecten
Matchbox: KAAN Architecten's first design in timber
Engineering timber construction from a feasibility mindset
Matchbox is the first timber complex designed by Vincent Panhuysen and Hannes Ochmann of KAAN Architecten. From the very first sketches, the architects, contractor, structural engineer and installation engineer sat down together. Vincent: 'That was crucial for this project, because it allowed us to engineer Matchbox in Eindhoven from a feasibility mindset, as we could immediately check with all parties whether our ideas were actually buildable.' The result is a strong MPG score of 0.421 for the homes and 0.444 for the offices and other commercial spaces.
Text: Sara Terburg
Matchbox houses the head office of housing association Trudo, which is also the owner and client. The building consists of seven storeys and contains 36 social rental apartments. It is located on the Philitelaan at Strijp-S, the former Philips site where many buildings have been renovated and repurposed. The name Matchbox refers to the design: from the outside you see sleek, 19-centimetre-wide wooden lines, rhythmic like a box of matches. The building consists of timber columns, laminated beams and CLT floors. Moso bamboo and Azobé wood were also used.
Demountable and CO2 neutral
Almost the entire building is demountable, except for the concrete foundation. Hannes, project leader for Matchbox: 'The timber facade cladding can be removed, and the timber frame and CLT components can go back to the factory. The concrete core is built up from prefab sections that can be detached at the connection joints.' Other sustainable features include the integrated solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems. Natural ventilation also contributes to a sustainable and healthy working and living environment. The project meets strict requirements for timber construction in terms of structural safety, acoustics and fire safety, and qualifies for the Dutch MIA scheme.
Matchbox was built CO2 neutral. Hannes: 'We chose to construct the main load bearing structure in timber as much as possible. So, the floors, columns and beams store a lot of CO2s. The timber frame components are also very sustainable. And we used as little concrete as possible, opting for anhydrite floors, for example.' Electricity consumption accounts for a large share of the MPG score. Hannes: 'That comes from the installations that run on electricity. In a building made of traditional materials, those score low.' This in turn shows just how sustainable Matchbox's materials are.
A small, triangular plot
Trudo approached KAAN for this commission. Vincent: 'This housing association is committed to creating special buildings for affordable housing. It wants every project to give something back to the community. That fits well with what we do. We too seek the dialogue between architecture and society.' All the other buildings (both new and renovated) at Strijp-S are made of concrete. 'Even the Trudo Toren, completed by this housing association five years ago at Strijp-S, is made of concrete.' Because there is now greater awareness around CO2 and its impact, the architect and client decided to explore whether this new building could be constructed in timber. The plot is a triangle on which building was only permitted up to a limited height. Vincent: 'And it's a small plot on top of that. That makes timber construction (even) more expensive, and therefore more difficult. The housing association proposed relocating their head office to this building. That made it feasible.' The ground floor houses several shops and hospitality venues.
How do you combine functions in a timber building?
That combination of living and working created challenges. Hannes: 'Above the top floor of the Trudo office are nine apartments with their own service shafts for piping. The question was how we could bring these together at a central point without pipe noise disturbing the offices.' The architects are used to designing a concrete shell and running the pipework down to the installations through the floors. Hannes: 'Now we had to think differently, which was both enjoyable and highly instructive.'
To prevent impact noise, they applied a mass layer of foam concrete. The installation pipework is embedded within this mass layer. This saved on building height for the benefit of the apartments. 'Otherwise, realising seven storeys would have been considerably more difficult.' But foam concrete is not the most obvious choice if you want to build sustainably. Hannes: 'The budget determined this choice. We chose to spend money on materials where more impact could be achieved, such as window frames made of recycled aluminium.' The screed floors are gypsum bound and therefore more sustainable than a cement bound variant.
This building will age beautifully
The galleries and balconies are made of Azobé wood. This is a fast growing, very strong wood from Africa. Hannes: 'This was the only suitable type of wood, because it's strong enough to make slender columns from, and it's certified with the European fire class B. And thanks to its strength, you can create a lot of outdoor space with it, because you only need thin columns.' They chose Moso bamboo because it grows very quickly. Both materials also last a very long time, expected to be more than 50 years. On top of that, it combines well with the Azobé wood, as both types weather to grey in the same way. Vincent: 'That's why we also chose uncoloured aluminium. In a few years, the building will have turned a beautiful grey.' The choice for timber balconies was the subject of considerable discussion. Vincent: 'Because how would the drainage work? The balconies sit directly above one another, so water from one balcony floor falls onto the balcony floor below it. That takes some getting used to for residents. And yes, you can prevent that with micro concrete slabs.' Even so, they stuck with timber. 'It's sustainable, beautiful, and required little material.'
Concrete makes communal spaces possible
Building in timber means thick columns are needed to achieve large spans. Vincent: 'You have much less flexibility than with concrete. So, finding the ideal grid was a real search.' The number of apartments had to be reduced, because thick timber columns (needed for fire safety) had to be concealed, and that takes up space. Vincent: 'In the end, we opted for a hybrid structure in which we also used concrete. Yes, it could have been done entirely in timber, but that comes at a price. And Trudo was very keen to have communal spaces in the building, places where people run into each other. That's why the residential section has a beautiful patio with a green roof and a gallery around it, onto which the apartments open. That patio introduces asymmetry into the core of the building, where the lifts and stairs are located.' And that creates a complex interplay of forces involving torsion. Hannes: 'I don't think we could have realised the patio in the same way if everything had needed to be in timber.' In the end, 36 apartments proved to be the maximum, as the building would otherwise have become too tall. Hannes: 'The building was allowed to be a maximum of 22 metres high, with a 10 percent margin. The ceiling height in the social rental homes must be 2.65 metres. In the end, we arrived at a total of 22.16 metres.'
Trudo held on to its idealism
At KAAN, they were pleased with the idealistic attitude of client Trudo. Vincent: 'Trudo believes in the value that Matchbox creates, in the value development of the land and the building, but they will only realise that value after a very long time. Despite the high financial pressure on this project, Trudo kept saying we would simply go ahead and do it. A commercial party would have viewed this very differently.' Hannes estimates that the construction costs came out 12 to 15 percent higher due to the choice of timber. 'But building in timber is faster than building with traditional materials. And, for example, no scaffolding is needed, because timber frame elements can be hoisted into place.' Hannes: 'We are going to design more timber buildings, and as others do the same, costs will come down.'
Tips
Finally, we ask the architects for their most important tip. Hannes: 'Timber construction on this scale was also new for the contractor and for Trudo, but a great deal of technical knowledge is available, for example in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The most important developments in European timber construction are taking place in these countries. Make use of that.' And be open to designing differently. 'We learned to design in a different way, with very straight lines, without overhangs and frivolities. Choose the smartest option in timber and make it beautiful.' Vincent agrees: 'Start with as few preconceived ideas as possible and let the design develop. If you dare to trust that process, you can always make it beautiful.'
Internationally active, award-winning architects
KAAN Architecten is an internationally operating architecture firm with offices in Paris and São Paulo. Its head office is in Rotterdam. The firm designs large buildings such as museums and educational institutions, as well as complexes for housing associations and larger homes. The firm has won various awards. Vincent is one of the three founders of KAAN Architecten. He works on projects both in the Netherlands and abroad. For the renovation of the Provinciehuis in Den Bosch, he received the Commissarispenning.
Notable designs by KAAN Architecten
- 2025 Museum FAMA, Itu (BR)
- 2025 FRESH, Eindhoven (NL)
- 2024 Eco-Museum and Orla Piratininga Park, Niteroi (BR)
- 2024 Education Centre University of Groningen, Groningen (NL)
- 2024 JUMP, Aubervilliers (FR)
- 2024 The Stack, Amsterdam (NL)
- 2023 Netherlands American Cemetery Visitor Center, Margraten (NL)
- 2023 Museum Paleis Het Loo, Apeldoorn (NL)
- 2023 Galeries Modernes, Rotterdam (NL)
- 2023 iCampus, Munich (DE)
- 2022 Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp (BE)
- 2022 De Zalmhaven, Rotterdam (NL)
MPG Matchbox
Want to know more about the MPG calculation? Download the PDF:
Matchbox was realised by:
| Client: | Trudo, Eindhoven |
| Architect: | KAAN Architecten |
| Programme: | Social housing (36 apartments), office, retail |
| Design phase: | 2021-2023 |
| Construction phase: | 2024-2025 |
| Completion: | November 2025 (homes), January 2026 (Trudo office and retail fit out) |
| BVO: | 4.700 sqm |
| Building physics consultant: | ABT B.V., Delft |
| Main contractor: | Stam + De Koning Bouw, Eindhoven |
| Timber structure contractor: |
Derix, Lierderholthuis + Constructie Adviesbureau Geuijen, Dinxperlo |
| Mechanical structural engineer: | Sankomij |
| Electrical structural engineer: | Verheggen Elektrotechniek B.V., Wintelre |
| Matchbox-patio: | Beining Adviseur Groenprojecten, Vlijmen |
| Landscape: |
West 8 urban design & landscape architecture b.v., Rotterdam |
