Introduction
With the project ”Nybyggerne” (The Settlers), Næstved Municipality has raised the bar high with an aim to create the first sustainably certified housing project. Nybyggerne is thereby acts as a preview of the sustainable houses of the future.
The name “Nybyggerne” awakens associations to the settlers and founding fathers of America, who travelled west to build in harmony with the undisturbed landscape. The nature was tended, cultivated and protected; resources were scarce, and nothing was wasted. Today one might call it ‘simple but joyful living’. This mindset regarding resources and nature has been a great source of inspiration in this project.
With this project we want to show how it is possible to build new houses without compromising the environment, we want to prove that creating new buildings from recycled materials is possible, and that a house can create more energy than it consumes, and that you can create a contemporary housing project where many functions are shared.
Social
One of the main thoughts behind the cluster-alignment of the buildings is the possible social diversity. By collecting different types of houses, different demographic groups are attracted and an area with people of varying backgrounds, needs and possibilities is created. This variance is seen as a benefit for everybody, since different families can supplement each others’ needs.
The proposed housing structure also opens possiblities for varying degrees of community and interaction, and there are spaces and paths that are meant for everybody, the majority and the few. This also adds to the feeling of community within Nybyggerne and allows adding functions to the houses that would not otherwise be available for an average Danish family.