There are places that grab you right away, without you being able to put your finger on why. Such a village or city doesn't have to be beautiful or filled with unique architecture. You just know it when you walk through it, with that feeling of ‘this is just right.’ That's how we feel about Schaijk. It's no wonder that architect Jan de Jong decided to build his own house here, but we'll talk about that another time. With the project “Schaijk, a global village,” the entire community has worked together over the years to define the identity of Schaijk. Residents, entrepreneurs, and various associations have contributed to this. The identity is translated into the following core values: making a difference for each other, Schaijk-our home, natural environment, and a place where you want to be! This process has led to the establishment of the largest association in the village, Natuurlijk Schaijk (Natural Schaijk but it also means Schaijk, of course). You automatically become a member when you move to the village. The website provides insight into all activities, and you can read various stories, such as about ‘shared houses’ (small cabinets along the street with food or other products) to reduce food waste or a meeting point for Ukrainians. When you enter the butcher, bakery, or cheese shop, you recognise the entrepreneurship and the community. You come here for your enjoyment.
Due to various municipal mergers, new names are emerging for municipalities. This also applies to the name Maashorst (in the province North-Brabant). Not to be confused with Horst aan de Maas (Limburg). On January 1st, 2022, this municipality was formed through a merger of the municipalities of Landerd and Uden and has six cores. We don't want to talk about the municipality itself, but about the landscape in Maashorst, the natural environment. The nature reserve has been carrying this name for a long time. It is located south of the Meuse River, between Schaijk, Zeeland, and Nistelrode. It covers an area of 2,400 hectares, a quarter of which is managed by Staatsbosbeheer (State Forest Management). It is the variety that makes it fascinating: coniferous and deciduous forests, drifting sand, heathlands, small ponds, agricultural areas, and grasslands. The transitions from forest to fields, sometimes with wooden banks, are beautiful. A sign in the area displays the following text:
“Wander through the wild nature of Maashorst with earth faults, drifting dunes, forests, and heathlands. Make your way along trees, streams, and creatures. Spot the wisent, tauros, and Exmoor ponies, the original inhabitants of the area. Discover the historical excavations, the primal treasures of Maashorst. Learn from the forest ranger about the "wijst," the wet nature pearls of the landscape. Put on sturdy walking shoes. Follow your primal instinct and go!”
In this area, you will find the , "a mountain in the woods/forest." It is also the name of the National Outdoor Center of the Dutch Girl Guides (Catholic scouting for girls). It was opened on June 10, 1956. Queen Juliana was the patroness of these Guides. On May 29, 1965, she visited this outdoor facility with Bishop Bekkers of the Diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch. There was a building with a kitchen and washing facilities, and a large living area called "het Ravensnest" (the Raven's Nest). The guides slept in tents. Until 1973, it was a campsite and training center for the leadership of the Dutch Girl Guides. It was sold in 1975 to the Foundation for Sun and Freedom (later the Paasheuvelgroep), which organised youth camps. In 2017, a local entrepreneur renamed it De Holenberg. Here, you can camp on a small scale or stay in an ANNA.
Let's be honest, that's why we're here. For ANNA. Because of Anna, there are ANNA cabins here. Anna is the mother of Caspar Schols. She had a desire to have a place where she could be very close to nature. So that she wouldn't miss anything from nature. As Caspar the designer describes this nature as: 'budding buds, busy little birds, changing skies, sun rays creating beautiful shadows, magnificent insects, scents of flowers and trees, sounds of animals at night.' In addition, Anna's house had to provide her with safety and basic comfort. A place where she could feel at home in nature. Caspar, not an architect, designed the garden shed in 2016, built it himself, and placed it in the garden in the Wielewaal in Eindhoven eight months later. Then the media caught wind of it. It resulted in numerous awards. The Dirk Roosenburg Award (Eindhoven), Radical Innovation Award (New York), and the Dezeen Small Building of the Year Award (London). It was among the top 3 most popular architectural projects in the Netherlands in 2017. Caspar then designed an ANNA for staying in, and this one was placed in Holenberg, the so-called ANNA Origin from 2018. This was because people from Schaijk had seen ANNA in the garden, and they thought it would fit well with the green surroundings of Schaijk. Caspar writes about this, 'In the meantime, this Asterix and Obelix village, the gateway to the primeval area of Maashorst, has stolen my heart. Not only because of the beauty of the surroundings, but also because of the people and the way they approach life. Hospitable, down-to-earth, reliable, and with humor. The people of Schaijk believed in ANNA from the very beginning. That's why ANNA is here.' In 2020, this was further developed into ANNA Stay, with four of them being placed. These were no longer built by Caspar himself but by the best timber builders he could find. With the construction of each ANNA, they learn and refine ANNA based on user experiences.
The idea that Caspar applied in the design of ANNA was: “I was looking for a design with a lot of flexibility and, if possible, a design with the flexibility of clothing. You should be able to remove a layer of the house as easily as changing your clothes, whenever you want.”
We had the opportunity to sleep in Origin, the first ANNA in Holenberg. Equipped with an outdoor toilet and shower for a true outdoor experience. On the outside of the shower, there was a sink, mirror, and dish rack. It made you feel like you were at a campsite, except that hot water came quickly out of the tap. The toilet resembles an old outdoor toilet, but under the hole in the plank is a regular white toilet bowl, and you can flush it like usual. If I were to further develop this concept, I would explore the possibilities of a waterless toilet. Even better for the environment.
Text does not do justice to the possibilities of the house, but with Jan's drawings, you can get an idea of how it works. At Holenberg, you get a first impression, and the videos really show the strength of this house. That is, you can manually change the house without much effort, all by yourself. There won't be a person who wouldn't do this. You are challenged to adapt the house as the circumstances change, just as the designer intended. Space for ‘homo ludens’, the playing human.
ANNA consists of four rollable wall-roof sections and a wooden floor. Rails are embedded in the floor on which the sections roll. Two of the sections form the ‘glass’ interior of the house. It's not actually made of glass but of very sturdy plastic, which keeps the weight limited. The other two sections, made of wood with a black metal roof, fit over them. The basic house is formed when the interior and exterior sections are slid over each other; the house stands in the middle of the wooden terrace floor. The house is symmetrical and has a door with a window on both gable ends. One of the doors is secured with a padlock, what an easy way to do that. In the middle of this basic house, close to the forest side, is the wood-burning stove. The chimney extends out (through a beautifully finished opening in the facade sections equipped with metal plates) and rises well above the house. On one side of the stove you will find the double bed and hooks on the wall to hang things. On the other side of the stove is a foldable kitchen cabinet and a table with two chairs. The wall on this side has a leather wall rack for storage. There's also a lounge chair and a stool. When you open the doors and the top flap of the kitchen cabinet, you'll see a gas cylinder, a stove, pans, dishes, and cutlery. The cool box is located under a hatch in the floor, just like the bathtub. Inside the house, there are no water and sewage connections, which adds to the authentic camping feeling. You can fetch water outside from the sink near the shower. The advantage here is that everything is private, and you don't need tokens for hot water like on a campsite. The house has two windows facing the field, and it's surprising how much light enters.
Now playtime begins. At the ends of the basic house, you'll find a sliding lock. Unlock it, and then you can manually pull the exterior part of the house outward. You can stop at any point you want, depending on how open you want the house to be. At the end of the terrace floor, you can anchor the house again, and that side will have reached its maximum size. You can do the same on the other side. Now you have the layout of the transparent basic house with two covered spaces on each side; the house has doubled in size.
You can then, in the same way, open the glass house. In the maximum position, you slide the glass house sections under the exterior sections. The house reaches its maximum size, and the entire layout of the basic house is now exposed to the outdoors. It feels surreal: the wood-burning stove with its chimney, the table with chairs, and the bed all in nature. Unreal because we're not used to this. You feel like a child in a playground who has discovered something unimaginable. Even on an October day, you can use the house in this way and catch the last rays of sunshine while sitting on the bed. You watch the sun slowly disappear behind the foliage, hear and see the jays flying by. As it gets cooler, you slowly close the glass house. If you find it too open or too bright, you can slide part of the exterior house back over it.
There is another possibility to change the house. When the closed exterior house is in the middle, it's also possible to slide the two glass house sections outward. This creates a house with bay windows on two sides. The bay windows can function as a conservatory, allowing you to feel like you're outside while still being somewhat sheltered and warm.
The construction is a feast for the eyes. It's made of wood, like a three-hinged truss of timber lattice girders. This construction keeps the structure as light as possible. Both the exterior and interior house are constructed in this way, with a wheel attached under each girder.
We had brought a stack of books and magazines (yes, in print) to spend a ‘screen-free’ evening in ANNA. Honestly, we didn't even get to them much. We sat in the glass house, closed to stay warm in the cool evening, with a view of the outside. Being amidst nature, you can't take your eyes off it. The play of light through the leaves of the trees, the transition from day to twilight, and from twilight to darkness. Not only through the transparent walls but also through the glass roof. We were fortunate to have an almost full moon and stars in a clear sky. The sky changed colour continuously, and the illuminated structure of the house, with floor lighting, made us feel like we were in a chapel. You don't want to go to sleep because you don't want to miss anything. If you step outside for a moment, illuminated ANNA presents a beautiful sight surrounded by trees.
The next morning, you can pick up breakfast from a wooden container by the path, where you'll find a basket with orange juice, fresh eggs, bread, croissants, and spreads. The house immediately invites you to play again. Should we sit inside or slide something open? We continue to enjoy the morning light but unfortunately, we have to leave ANNA. We conclude that this was an unforgettable experience and that Natuurlijk Schaijk is absolutely right.
2022
