They are called ‘bunker homes’, the buildings at Borghoutspark in Veldhoven. Initially, these houses formed an army base for enlisted German pilots and officers. In 1989 the base was handed over to the Dutch air force. Nowadays, the area is named after resistance leader Johannes Borghouts, and the homes are inhabited by people from Veldhoven with a sense of history. Look from the air, and you will see a residential area. Yet from the ground, the thick walls make clear that these are actually communication bunkers disguised as farms.

Living here means exceptional living. Performing a partial renovation here means preparing for an exceptional job. First and foremost, it was essential to preserve the unique character of the place. In addition, the extremely solid construction requires a strategic approach. This property was constructed to endure a lot, not to easily replace a kitchen and window frames. And install post-insulation under the roof.

Yet that is precisely what we have done here. Because the bunker looked heavy and dark, there was a demand for a lighter character. From the dark stone kitchen floor, the soft white birch concrete plywood of the kitchen now forms a bright element. The composite kitchen worktop rests on it as a whitish line. The colours of the window frames are deliberately in tune with the innovative colour composition of the entire building. Thus, they continue to blend into the ensemble of bunker houses. The new window frames and applied post-insulation of the roof serve as protection like the original bunker, yet now in a sustainable sense. This building with its heritage is now ready for the future.