March 2025

BLOG : HOW WE BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO A THEN INNOVATIVE CONCEPT FROM 1970.

HOW IT STARTED

Perhaps you know them, the well-known holiday bungalows of Sporthuis Centrum, later the well-known Center Parcs. The first series of these well-known concrete bungalows were designed in the late 1960s by the then well-known architect: Jaap Bakema. The founder of Center Parcs, Piet Derksen, wanted to bring something new to the market, where people could enjoy nature, but also each other. For decades, the bungalows have been a fixture for a well-known Center Parcs holiday. The bungalows were simple, arranged in a row, often built in clusters of about 8 bungalows. They were built with concrete blocks as high as a construction worker on an inverted masonry tub, and finished with black stained wood. It was precisely that simplicity that appealed to people.

Jaap Bakema sought the connection with nature everywhere in the design. For example, you could not see any neighbours because of the rows, so you felt like you were the only one in the forest. All the bungalows also had large windows and sliding doors, something that people usually did not have at home. You could bathe in a bathtub, watch colour TV and each bungalow was equipped with a fireplace. It was a post-war development in the Netherlands where people learned to live with more "free time" and "weekends".

The first series of bungalows designed by Jaap Bakema together with landscape architect Herman Klopma.

IN LATER YEARS THE BUNGALOWS BECAME A BIT LARGER AND MORE MODERN.

Over the years, and the changing wishes of the visitor, these bungalows also had to keep up with the times. And that is now becoming more and more of a challenge. Certainly the first series were designed and built in the 1970s. The later versions were already somewhat more spacious but still had the same recognisable design.

The "newer" versions of the bungalows designed in the 1980's by architect J. Fahmel.

NEW TIMES, SAME BUNGALOWS BUT WITH A NEW LOOK AND FEEL

We studied the concept and design of Jaap Bakema extensively to create a new exterior design, in which the same principles are maintained, but at the same time the bungalows are developed to meet current expectations. We again sought the connection with nature, we looked for types of wood that give it a new contemporary whole. We let the concrete blocks speak but we gave them a fresh makeover.