The Ecological Holiday Home is a 70-square-meter retreat in Brasschaat, Belgium, designed by POLYGOON Architectuur for clients Wim and Joosie. Completed in 2020, the project's primary goal was to create a comfortable, low-impact holiday house that would blend as much as possible into its forest surroundings. The design is defined by its strong ecological principles, using renewable, biodegradable, and recyclable materials in a circular construction process. The house is supported by 11 slender poles, allowing the structure to "float" about half a meter above the forest floor, minimizing its physical and visual footprint. This foundation system means the house can be moved in its entirety, with the option to add two extra poles for a terrace. The cabin's form is an organic pentagonal plan with three obtuse corners, giving it a soft, non-intrusive character in the woods. It features a single-pitch roof that reaches a height of 7 meters at the rear, creating a sense of spaciousness within the compact footprint. The wooden skeleton was prefabricated and assembled in just five days, with the clients themselves contributing to the exterior cladding and interior finishes. The exterior is clad with locally sourced, barked larch planks over fiberboard, and the interior uses oriented strand board (OSB) panels. Energy efficiency is a key feature, with the house so well-insulated that a single wood stove is sufficient for heating. An air-source heat pump was also installed to heat sanitary water efficiently. Recovered and recycled materials were used for the kitchen and bathroom furnishings. Credits Architects: POLYGOON Architectuur Lead Architects: Domien Boits, Bram Van Bouwel Contractor: Luc Van Overveld Photographer: Jessy van der Werff Manufacturers: RENSON, Adobe, Ariston, Eternit, JØTUL, Nemetschek, Steico Clients: Wim and Joosie