Nestled into the heart of the Veluwe National Park the tea pavillion offers splendid views of the IJssel and Rijn valleys while exemplifying the power and significance of nature. The Pavilion lies at the end of a range of hills formed in the last ice age, when the earth was pushed more than 100 meters above sea level (quite an achievement by Dutch standards). Completely integrated within its natural surroundings, the outdoors can be acutely experienced from indoors. Natural materials used inside the building’s interior further blur the difference. When entering the building, visitors ascend in a continuous spiral, up and around a cluster of trees and ending at a 14 meter cantilever made possible through tension and compression created by steel cables and unprocessed solid oak beams. Its base is supported by a large moraine.
Environmentally friendly materials include plaster made from natural stone granules, sheep’s wool for insulation, sustainably produced wood (no hard wood), columns of (European) oak tree trunks, steel trusses easily recyclable after demolition, a vegetation roof and acacia parquet for the restaurant floor. The underground insulation is partly made up of expanded clay pebbles (as found in hydro culture potted plants). Photovoltaic panels, natural ventilation and cooling, a moss sedum roof for cooling and rain water collection and ground source heating and cooling make this building a model of sustainability.
