When a mathematician friend of mine asked whether I could have a look at his house and its insulation, I knew little about “Zaanse huisjes” apart from them being wood-clad and mostly green-white.

Teaming up with an old friend of mine, Annelous (Rosenstok) took me along on a journey through Zaandam’s (still very vivid and by now cooked-up) building heritage. From siding styles “potdekselen” (=sturdy planks, overlapping horizontally/vertically) to bevel siding and “rabatdelen” (= groove and tongue planks) , styles for “windveren” (“wind feathers” = a kind of bargeboard, overhanging from gable to roof for better rain defence) and the monumental colour codes of the Zaan area (one of the oldest industrial areas in Europe), crowned by the bespoke “makelaar” (=finial), I learned to value the traditional way of Zaandam’s housing design details. Researching a variety of novel insulation materials for the very skinny construction (insulation was apparently a non-issue in Zaandam’s past), we discussed and contemplated several solutions for the energy-upgrade of this century-old structure on the verge of a natural reserve. Finding the best craftsmen from Volendam, we could be sure our designs would be implemented in the most cunning way possible, paying attention to detail. This was a fantastic and very fruitful cooperation between the craftsmen, Annelous Rosenstok (AHLOA architects), house owner W. Theis and me. Thanks to everybody for making this energetic update appealing in such a “Zaans” way! (Photographs partly courtesy of W. Theis)