The story begins when a loyal client of V+ embarks on a property development project on the heights of Duden Park. The lower part of the land is occupied by a mansion, but the upper part is wasteland that the client has decided to redevelop. After a long legal and financial saga, he throws in the towel and sells his property in two parts. The topography of the upper land is ungrateful, and the permitted volume is limited: this was enough for one of the founders of V+, who had become familiar with the place in the meantime, to fall in love with it and want to live there with his family. 

These unusual events, which unfolded over more than ten years, resulted in a very simple house, joyfully evocative of the stories it conjures up rather than its architecture. A project in which twenty years of architectural practice were put to good use to design the simplest house possible. The architectural explanations can be summed up in a few words: one room, multiplied twelve times. Terracotta blocks, wood. If you’re cold, light a fire. If you’re hot, open a window. No expensive ventilation system. No petroleum products! No sliding walls! Here, the question of sustainability is shifted to that of durability: solid walls, simple ventilation grilles, lime vapour barriers. No expert knowledge is required to build or maintain the house. The visitor’s eyes widen: is this possible within the current regulatory framework? Yes, with a little ingenuity and the help of architects – Central Ofau, Sophie Dars – and loyal technicians – Bureau Bouwtechniek, SEA, Greisch, Didier Vander Heyden – who were interested in the challenge of doing almost nothing.