‘BACKBONE meets BACKPACK’

Constantly reinventing the wheel? Sustainable? We are at the beginning of a sustainable consciousness! Take the time to develop a good product; industrially manufactured, sustainable, efficient & smart! ‘Backbone meets Backpack’ gives room for change & individual freedom!

The design consists of a ‘Backbone’; a basic technical module to which various living and living spaces can be linked, called ‘Backpacks’. The ‘Backbone’ forms the backbone of the house and is filled with functions that the house needs in order to deal sustainably with energy, water, heat, etc. Spaces, such as bathroom, toilet and kitchen, are included in this. The physical visibility of the sustainable components in the ‘Backbone’ increases residents’ awareness.

The ‘Backbone’ can be produced and delivered by a green energy supplier. This allows production on a large scale, increasing the sustainability aspect. Residents lease the ‘Backbone’ from the supplier. Maintenance and additions to it are done by the energy company, thus keeping the module always up-to-date. The business community can also be actively involved in the sustainable development and production of the ‘Backbone’. For example: ‘Bruynzeel for Backbone’.

The ‘Backpacks’ can be developed depending on the wishes of the residents, possibly together with chosen architect, and are easy to plug in and out of the ‘Backbone’. This increases the freedom and flexibility of living. The configuration of modules can adapt to specific locations.

The combination of multiple ‘Backbones’ and ‘Backpacks’ creates a new neighborhood on the water.

Sustainability advantage through economies of scale!

With the CYOD (Celebrate Your Own Diversity) plan, we want to challenge investors, governments, suppliers and future residents to think about the essence of sustainable living. Besides the use of sustainable materials, based on the cradle to cradle principle, sustainable energy systems and flexible living ideas, we are thinking about forms of ownership.

By involving various parties early and making them responsible for materials and energy supplies, opportunities arise to constantly develop systems further. Materials/parts can be reused at the end of a use cycle.

Instead of ownership, for reasons of sustainability it can be interesting to pay for use, for example by leasing part of your home to achieve the most sustainable living environment imaginable.

Client: Stadsdeel Oost-Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam

Design competition: ‘Duurzaam drijvend wonen’ (Sustainable Floating Housing), 2010

I.c.w.: Harry van den Berg, Beatrix Zingerle, Marieke Sijm

Award: Most innovative idea

www.cyod.nl