Tutors Laura van Santen and Diederik de Koning win Abe Bonnema award

23 januari 2023

Laura van Santen and Diederik de Koning, both tutors at the bachelor Interior Architecture & Furniture Design and architects at la-di-da design & architecture, have won the Abe Bonnema Award for Young Architects 2022 with the Dijkhuis in Strijensas. Ed Nijpels, chairman of the ir Abe Bonnema Foundation, announced this last month at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The duo will receive 20,000 euros for this. The Dijkhuis in Strijensas, designed by la-di-da design & architecture, impressed the jury greatly and at the same time provoked a probing debate. The brief was to realise a house with a maximum construction cost of 200,000 euros. According to the jury, the architects have realised a project that is exemplary through the application of innovative concepts, sets a new standard and exemplifies innovation in architecture. They show commitment by changing architecture with research into sustainable development. 'The Dike House is a new affordable typology for outdoor living and shines with the potential it exudes. The pamphleteering power of the realised design is strong and that should be honoured precisely now, given the major transitions that are needed,' said jury chair Meta Knol.

The Dijkhuis, still from the video about the project.
The Dijkhuis, still from the video about the project.

The Dijkhuis

With this house, la-di-da has taken a step in the quest to design an affordable wooden house. The wooden floor is raised from ground level and even the foundation piles are wooden. Concrete was used only for the stringers and piers. Since it was not possible to build on the dike during the storm season, the entire design for the dike house had to be completed in four weeks. The result is a house with, around a core, four equivalent rooms with decking.