BLACKPRINT: With your monastery project in Jorwert, you have transformed a vacant farmhouse with origins dating back to the 14th/15th century into a place of silence and contemplation. What was the most important starting point for the planning?

Kees de Haan: We have already converted and repurposed several farmsteads, but the Jorwert project was special from the outset. For me, it was clear that the building should not appear as a converted farmhouse but that we wanted to develop a genuine monastery. At the same time, the farmstead was of course listed, so radical interventions were not possible. Therefore, we carefully considered where the agricultural character could be softened without damaging the historic core.

Esther Postma: We were of course also aware that we would need to add additional building volumes and that this could quickly create the impression of "old farmstead plus new buildings". That was exactly what we wanted to avoid. Instead, we wanted to create a cohesive ensemble, a new typology perceived as a whole. At the same time, for heritage reasons, the farmstead should remain legible in the landscape. Therefore, we set ourselves clear rules: the large barn had to remain the highest and defining volume, with all new buildings subordinate to this scale. Only when you come closer does it become clear: this is no longer a farmstead but a new spiritual place.

BLACKPRINT: How did you then proceed to implement the aspiration for spirituality and communal living?

Kees de Haan: In advance, we visited various monasteries, including buildings by the Benedictine monk and architect Dom Hans van der Laan, who, in addition to theoretical writings, personally designed numerous sacred buildings. This gave us valuable inspiration for how to combine proportion and silence from these monasteries with the historic farmstead fabric. Subsequently, we faced the challenge of sensibly integrating the required functions into the existing building. The heart of the complex remains the carefully renovated barn with its deeply lowered hipped roof, characteristic timber framing and the living area projecting to the east. Directly next to the main entrance is the kitchen, which has retained its original function, whilst the two elevated living rooms house a library. Another central element is the typologically crucial cloister with monastery garden. In our first sketches, we established that this theme could be beautifully combined with the structures of the barn vault – the combination immediately made sense. The result is a U-shaped cloister running along three axes, enclosing a protected inner courtyard at the centre of the complex whilst remaining semi-open only to the west.

The old building on the right houses, among other things, the dining and function room.

In the left part of the image, the newly added building volume with the guest rooms can be seen.

BLACKPRINT: Other key elements include a dining and function room and a new wing with guest rooms...

Kees de Haan: We established the dining hall in the old barn, with guest rooms in a new wing with a rear-sloping mono-pitched roof. The rooms are deliberately kept simple and offer guests expansive views over the surrounding landscape. With all elements, our aim was to harmoniously combine old and new. For this, we lime-washed the masonry of the new building to balance differences and create a calm overall impression. Similarly, we left the newly inserted timber elements untreated to achieve a simple and calm spatial impression.

The masonry of the newly added building volumes was lime-washed to balance differences and create a calm overall impression.

BLACKPRINT: A strong motif is the large window in the dining room...

Kees de Haan: Yes, we integrated the dining and function room as a box-in-box volume and opened the south façade with a large glazed front. From there, you can now enjoy the expansive landscape. The cows used to stand there –of course they had no interest in the view. But as a human, you want daylight and to feel the connection to the surroundings.

In the dining and function room, a large glazed front offers unobstructed views of the expansive landscape.

BLACKPRINT: A special feature is also the small chapel in the cellar. How did that idea come about?

Kees de Haan: In the historic farmstead complex, there was a dairy cellar, a cool storage room that, with its vaulted ceiling, was perfect for a small intimate chapel with space for around 15 people. When you're there, you immediately sense something special. Sometimes prayers are spoken or sung, which creates a very distinctive, special atmosphere. At the same time, it's of course something completely different from its former use as a dairy chamber. All the more remarkable that both functions work convincingly in this space.

BLACKPRINT: Then there is a second chapel, outside in the garden...

Esther Postma: Yes, that was a very exciting task. The community had collected old monastery bricks from various monasteries in Friesland and wanted to use them to build a chapel. Our challenge was to find a form that would work in the landscape. From this emerged the idea of using an old feed silo, relocating it to the intended site and incorporating the old bricks inside the structure. When you enter the silo, you leave the landscape behind and experience exclusively the sky, as a counterpoint to the intimate cellar chapel.

In the former dairy cellar, the architects integrated a small intimate chapel with space for around 15 people.

BLACKPRINT: Such solutions surely required close collaboration with the monastery community?

Esther Postma: Absolutely. With the feed silo, we initially had our own ideas and design sketches, but at some point the monastery community took over implementation itself. That's precisely what's beautiful: the sense of community arises because people actively participate themselves. Had we as architects said: "We'll take care of it, we'll bring in a contractor and deliver a finished product," a completely different feeling would have emerged. Instead, they could participate; we primarily structured, accompanied and supported. Thishelps people feel a strong connection to the place– in the end, it truly became their own monastery.

BLACKPRINT: In Germany too, farmsteads stand empty and decay. Do you also see the project as an example of how to handle this building stock?

Kees de Haan: Definitely! The farmstead in Jorwert is not unique in the Frisian landscape. Had it been a one-of-a-kind architectural monument, we would probably have had to act very differently. But as there are sufficient comparable farmsteads in their original state, we had more freedom and couldloosen the visual association with the original farm.. At the same time, it was a central concern for us to make use of the ecological value of the existing fabric: wherever possible, we reused existing materials and only made targeted additions. Thus the farmstead continues to be used not only culturally but also from a sustainability perspective. The project demonstrates that farmsteads are also very well suited for many other, surprising functions.

BLACKPRINT: In IJlst, you have already converted a historic farmhouse into a two-family dwelling. What insights from that project could you apply in Jorwert?

Kees de Haan: The farmstead in IJlst was not formally listed but had very beautiful old walls and beams that we retained because they were simply valuable and original. Unlike the monastery, the building is a private residence, which accordingly requires a completely different style: very detailed, with interior design and colours, rather luxurious.

The architects converted the farmstead in IJlst into a residential building.

BLACKPRINT: Your own practice is also located in an old smithy. What fascinates you about such building projects?

Kees de Haan: Old buildings always have elements that you would never plan in that way, that initially seem disruptive, but which ultimately make the building unique and tell a story. You essentially get that as a gift.

Esther Postma: Yes, that also applies to our own office: when you walk around here, you see that there were different rooms, different ceiling colours, traces of previous users. You're essentially continuing the story yourself – that's something that would never happen in a new building. In parallel, however, we have also implemented modern solutions to minimise energy consumption. For example, we use solar collectors and heat with aquathermy. Additionally, we have integrated vapour-permeable insulation as well as new windows behind the old cast-iron windows. Our office is thus a good example of how an old building can be used in a modern, comfortable and sustainable way.

BLACKPRINT: What role does your practice's location here in a rather rural region play?

Kees de Haan: I think it's precisely in rural areas that old techniques or traditions can be revived or combined with modern techniques. For example, it's possible to heat only individual rooms rather than an entire house. Similarly, the significantly smaller project scale allows us experiments that would hardly be possible in large projects. This applies, for instance, to the implementation of masonry foundations or the use of locally produced materials.

Esther Postma: But it's important to take people along. Our aim is to create awareness of the landscape: this means, for example, thinking intensively about solutions for the subsidence of peatland or trying out new building materials such as reed insulation. All this opens up exciting opportunities for sustainable building and particularly for the circular economy theme, which is very important to us.

BLACKPRINT: What are you currently working on?

Kees de Haan: We're currently working on a very interesting sustainable project. The starting point was a farmstead that stood too close to a busy road, precisely where a roundabout was to be built. The municipality offered the owner to buy the farmstead and build a new house around 100 metres away. For us, this presented the opportunity to reuse the demolition material directly on site: we could reuse all the bricks and roof tiles, supplementing them with modern materials such as new insulation. What's particularly pleasing is that the client personally knocked off individual bricks – they are bricks from his parents' house where he was born and grew up, some with mortar residue and old family initials. These bricks now have a special place in the client's study. As a result, we have not only achieved greater sustainability but an emotional connection to every single brick has also emerged.

BLACKPRINT: Would you describe this combination of old and new as typical for your practice?

Kees de Haan: Yes, this love of the old, this combination of old and new – that characterises our practice. We recognise the qualities of existing buildings and combine them with the new. This began with our practice founder Jelle de Jong being very fascinated by old monuments. At the same time, we always had a great interest in modern architecture. We then gradually refined this combination. Westerhûs was something quite special in this respect, as the project combines our entire experience from the restoration of old farmsteads with a personal fascination for simple architecture.

BLACKPRINT: Which phase of your work do you love most?

Kees de Haan: I find the beginning of a project most exciting – the initial briefing, exploring possibilities in sketches. It's a moment full of energy and joy.

Esther Postma: I feel the same way. I love surprising clients and seeing how they react to the first ideas!

BLACKPRINT: Thank you for the conversation!

The interview was conducted by Robert Uhde.