One of the most exciting campsites in the Netherlands is Culture Campsite, which was designed by a collaboration of Dutch architects, designers, and artists to be an urban oasis filled with artistic sleeping pods. Each pod has its own style and are all built from upcycled, recycled, and waste stream materials.
Culture Campsite was just a simple concrete parking lot in Rotterdam’s Delfshaven area until the artistic team turned it into a sustainable urban camping ground with a communal geodesic done and bathroom area.
There are ten unique architectural pods to choose from, and each of them showcases innovative sustainable elements and can accommodate between two and four guests each. The pods are smaller than a tiny house but offer a more exciting and unforgettable experience than a tent, home, or trailer.
One of the pods is the Val Ross (which is Swedish for walrus) – a barrel-like structure that sits on a slope and is accessed via a metal ladder. It has a hinged roof, a circular window, and one cylindrical bedroom with a double bed. The pod is insulated for the colder seasons and is built from old animal feed silos, which are towers used to store animal food on a farm.
Another is the Floating Bricks, which is popular among families with younger children, as it features optical illusion and an open cabin-style space with enough room for family games. Other pods include Honeycomb, Little Pea, Scuba, Sleeping Pod, Sweet Potato, and Trash Inn.
Boris Duijenveld, founder of Mud projects and one of the designers from Culture Campsite, said:
The principle of waste architecture is designing and sketching with the materials and objects that are available. Playing with form, material, and color leads to new insights and forms that cannot be imagined on a white sheet of paper. It requires a different way of designing to change, adapt, and merge existing forms.
There will be meals served at the geodesic done. Fun activities will be available, such as yoga classes and a multi-day tiny house design course, allowing participants to develop their own sustainable pod!
