27 Feb 2026
Living Places partner project: First largescale Smûk homes development breaks ground in Leeuwarden
The Living Places journey is expanding in the Netherlands. The Municipality of Leeuwarden, WoonFriesland and Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma (BGDD) have signed an agreement to build 48 new timber homes in the neighbourhood of Middelsee, Netherlands. This marks an important milestone: the first large-scale project based on the Smûk home, an affordable, healthier and more sustainable dwelling developed from the VELUX Living Places concept.
The Living Places concept, ideated and developed by VELUX in partnership with EFFEKT and Artelia, has the vision to lead the way in the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is built on five core principles: healthy, shared, simple, adaptive and scalable which focus on fostering community, using more sustainable materials, ensuring a highquality indoor climate and enabling flexible, longterm use.
From experimental concept to market-ready solution
In September 2024, BGDD introduced the Smûk home: a fully biobased dwelling built in timber and insulated with hemp, designed to strengthen nature and offer a healthier indoor climate. The home is rooted in the Living Places principles, showing how everyday buildings can significantly reduce carbon emissions while improving comfort and wellbeing.
Turning the Smûk prototype into a product ready for large-scale construction required new solutions and regulatory flexibility. The joint effort of BGDD, the Ministry, WoonFriesland and the Municipality of Leeuwarden created the space needed to progress from idea to implementation.
“At VELUX we are thrilled to see BGDD scale the Smûk homes based on the Living Places Principles. It is a proof of our very first pioneering partner making healthy, sustainable and affordable homes available to many more people,”
says Lone Feifer, Director of Sustainable Buildings at VELUX.
Scaling healthier, more sustainable and affordable homes
All Smûk homes are built from natural, local materials. Their prefabricated elements are produced in BGDD’s Dokkum factory, ensuring consistent quality and enabling fast construction once on site.
Of the 48 rental homes planned in Middelsee, 32 are being developed for WoonFriesland, with 16 additional homes rented out by BDD Group in the mid-range segment. Construction begins in Q2 2026 and completion is expected in March 2027.
BGDD sees this step as a strong signal of confidence in the model.
“We were convinced that we were on the right track with our biobased Smûk home. We’re pleased that this is also recognised by forward-thinking partners in the market and that we can now realise the first homes,”
says Biense Dijkstra, Director of BGDD.
A shared ambition for better buildings
The Smûk development contributes to Leeuwarden’s aim to add more affordable, high-quality homes across the city. Middelsee — including the Barrahûs sub-area — is being designed to support climate adaptation, green mobility and strong community life.
