Bolwoningen revisited
Architecture Hub ran a feature on Bolwoningen in 's‑Hertogenbosch — a 1984 experimental cluster of 50 glass‑fibre concrete spheres on cylindrical bases with multi‑level layouts — highlighting a durable piece of Dutch experimental housing history. The post included images and a short design description. (x.com)
A fresh feature has put Bolwoningen back in view: 50 spherical homes built in 1984 still stand in the Maaspoort district of ’s‑Hertogenbosch. (x.com) The cluster sits at Bollenveld 1-50 and was designed by Dries Kreykamp, a Dutch artist and designer who developed the project as experimental housing for one- and two-person households. (bossche-encyclopedie.nl) A municipal heritage survey says the homes were commissioned by the city housing company and completed in 1984 as the final built example of the Dutch Experimental Housing Program launched in 1968. (bossche-encyclopedie.nl) Each house is a 5.5-meter sphere made from glass-fiber-reinforced cement, set on a cylindrical concrete base with a spiral stair linking stacked rooms. (bossche-encyclopedie.nl) The layout was compact by design: sleeping space at the lower level, a toilet and shower in the middle, and a living room with open kitchen at the top. The total floor area is about 55 square meters. (bossche-encyclopedie.nl; archdaily.com) Kreijkamp argued that a sphere used less surface area for the same volume than a conventional box, which he tied to lower energy use and easier maintenance. ArchDaily reported that the prefabricated parts were intended to be assembled in a single day. (archdaily.com; bossche-encyclopedie.nl) The project was also a social-housing test. The 2021 heritage report says the use of polymer glass-fiber-reinforced cement helped cut costs enough to make the units suitable for regulated rental housing. (bossche-encyclopedie.nl) The houses did not stay untouched. Bossche Encyclopedie says they were renovated in 1993, and the city heritage report lists later work in 2005, 2007 and 2010, including new round window frames, repairs to the shell after cracking, and small sheds added beside the access shafts. (bossche-encyclopedie.nl; bossche-encyclopedie.nl) Kreijkamp died in 2014 at age 77, and the Bolwoningen remain his best-known built work. The same municipal survey now places the complex within the history of Dutch “Post-65” architecture and describes it as nationally known. (omroepbrabant.nl; bossche-encyclopedie.nl) That helps explain why a short image post can travel again in 2026: the Bolwoningen were built as a housing experiment, but four decades later they still read as lived-in evidence of how far Dutch planners once pushed the idea of affordable new forms. (x.com; bossche-encyclopedie.nl)
