Our colleague Susanne Vruwink, employed at Finch Buildings since 2020, can now officially call herself an architect. Besides her job and a young family, she successfully completed her education at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam.
Like Finch, Susanne is convinced that architecture can be the bridge between nature, technology and innovation. This thought is also reflected in her graduation project 'The Sawkoele', in which she translates the principles of biobased and circular construction into the repurposing of an old farm into a sawmill.
Susanne: "My work at Finch Buildings contributed to the direction of this thesis project. The vision of 'The Sawkoele' dovetails perfectly with Finch Buildings' mission: to leverage bio-based materials and circular principles to future-proof the built environment. Also, my fascination with wood as a building material is a clear common thread between this thesis project and my work at Finch Buildings."
We are incredibly proud of you, Suus
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Welcome to the Sawkoele!*
Between the sound of saws and the rustling of oaks lies my graduation project: the circular transformation of a mixed farm into sawmill De Zaagkoele. What began as a personal quest for my role as an architect grew into an answer to a topical question: how do we unite agriculture, nature restoration and circular construction?
In this project, the great discussions about nitrogen and the future of the countryside come together with my own childhood on a farm in the Achterhoek. In this graduation project, where past and future meet, I searched for a new balance and show what circular opportunities there are for agricultural heritage.
Architecture
Circular architecture requires a new role of the architect, in which the consequences of each design choice are consciously considered. This project aims to minimize ecological and thus create a new reality with its own form of beauty: circular aesthetics.
The design rests on three pillars: Form Follows Function (program) - what volumes are needed for the new functions to function optimally; Form Follows Finds (harvested materials) - what materials and quantities are available in the current situation; and Form Follows Shaping (concept) - shaping a circular aesthetic that fits both the site and the new functions.
Landscape
A farm is inseparable from the landscape. Therefore, the transformation of a farm cannot be separated from its surroundings. That is why the landscape plays an important role in this graduation project, with a focus on the green-blue veining that is crucial to the sawmill.
Through this combination of architecture and landscape, the Zaagkoele shows how repurposed heritage contributes to a future-proof countryside.
*Zaagkoele: The well, "saw pit," at a sawmill in which wood used to be watered (Achterhoek dialect).
View the booklet Here.
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