Bouwurk

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Mienskipshûs (community house) for Friesland

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Created during Arcadia 2025 in Leeuwarden, Bouwurk was not a building in the traditional sense but a living mienskipshûs — a house of community. The project emerged from collaboration between Arcadia, the Municipality of Leeuwarden, and design studio Overtreders W, and was realized with the hands and hearts of countless companies, organizations, makers, and residents.

 

The structure was built from leftover and regional materials: timber, glass, and pallets found a second life; walls were filled with raw Frisian wool; clay from the Wadden Sea was transformed into ceramic tiles; and fibers such as cattail, hemp, and miscanthus appeared in façades, furniture, and insulation. In this way, Fryslân’s resources and stories became part of the architecture itself.

 

Equally important was the mienskip. Knitting café De Steek crafted the Whitebox paneling, while countless Frisians shaped the program: from artist-led workshops to silent discos, from queer quizzes and dabke dances to bread baking, morning gymnastics, and alternative Sunday gatherings exploring what gives life meaning.

 

Artists also played a central role: Peng Zhang turned a vegetable garden into his studio with On the Field of Hope; Koos Buster created donation pots for a better world; and Gabriel Chaille built the large oven Brenda, which baked bread and brought people together.

 

Bouwurk was modular and designed to be dismantled. After Arcadia, it was taken apart, ready for a new life elsewhere. Just as the leaning Oldehove has become a symbol of Leeuwarden, Bouwurk lives on — not only in materials, but in stories, memories, and connections. A contemporary cathedral without religion — built by many, carried by the community.

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