Sliding House from LabLand

A new (nearly) energy neutral terraced house in 4 weeks

Terraced houses form the grain and texture of a town or village, of streets and squares. You find them in all sizes, from narrow compact workers' cottages to wide luxury properties. Many of these homes are outdated. Renovating them into (nearly) energy neutral homes is no laughing matter. That's why LabLand developed a solution: InschuifHuis.

Outdated terraced houses are often left to their fate. Owners are reluctant to undertake a thorough renovation because it is often difficult to predict the total project costs and timescales. And project developers are not interested in the properties because they are usually relatively small, fragmented homes with a lot of customization.

From demolition to relocation in 4 weeks
With its InschuifHuis, LabLand developed an original solution. The InschuifHuis is an ecological, qualitative and affordable replacement building that is built in 4 weeks. The timber frame house is completely prefabricated in a workshop, including kitchen, sanitary facilities and techniques. Maximum use is made of renewable materials in the construction, and the design of the house is simple and adaptable to changing uses. Once the house is finished, it is literally moved into the place where the old one was demolished.

Selective demolition
The existing, outdated terraced house is selectively demolished. The materials are carefully analyzed and recovered. Roof tiles, stairs, doors and windows, but also less obvious things like the wood of gratings and roof trusses LabLand tries to reuse as much as possible. For this they work together with social customization companies. For example, the old kitchen goes to Domus Mundi, who together with Inhout turn it into a good-as-new affordable kitchen. The wood from the demolition is collected by Labeur. Among other things, they make them into wall benches. Materials for which no new purpose has been found are selectively removed.

Streamlined construction process
The Move-In House enables more people to renovate their homes without worry and to make them (nearly) energy neutral. A streamlined construction process is central. Transparency about every detail of the project and its cost is central throughout.

InschuifHuis was developed with the support of the province of East Flanders and the Koning Boudewijnstichting (King Boudewijn Foundation).