Duco Natural Cooling Featured in the Reeve Project: Natural Ventilation in Biobased Housing Construction

In the new village of Reeve in Kampen, construction is underway on a future-proof residential environment centered on sustainability, affordability, and comfort. As part of this project, 18 biobased single-family homes for social housing were built. Duco Natural Cooling, an innovative concept first introduced at BouwBeurs 2025, was selected for this project. This project was designed with a particular focus on energy efficiency and a healthy indoor climate—two aspects that are inextricably linked in contemporary residential construction.

Biobased Construction with a Focus on Quality of Life

Reeve is an ambitious project aimed at building approximately 600 sustainable new homes, spread across three sub-areas, each with its own identity and character. Meanwhile, 18 biobased homes have already been successfully completed in subarea 1 (‘De Dorpskern’). This new village was designed as a sustainable expansion district that combines innovative construction principles with a strong focus on livability. The use of biobased materials helps reduce the environmental impact, while a well-designed building envelope ensures high insulation values and airtightness.

It is precisely this airtightness that places additional demands on ventilation. In well-insulated homes, controlled air exchange is essential for efficiently removing moisture, CO₂, and pollutants while minimizing energy consumption. Under the BENG targets, the use of energy-intensive systems such as air conditioning is becoming less and less desirable. For public housing, there is an additional challenge: the system must be reliable, low-maintenance, and easy for residents to use.

Ventilation Challenges in Mass Housing Construction

When building multiple, similar homes, efficiency plays a key role. The ventilation solution in this project had to:

– be scalable across multiple homes;

– can be installed quickly and without errors;

– operate automatically without active intervention by residents and contribute to comfort in both winter and summer

In addition, the system had to be consistent with the project’s sustainable nature and comply with applicable Dutch regulations.

Various ventilation solutions integrated into a single system

To meet all these requirements, an integrated concept was chosen: Duco Natural Cooling. In the homes of the Reeve project, the DucoBox Focus, TronicVent NL (AK+), and DucoGrille Close 105 were combined into a single smart, demand-driven system.

The DucoBox Focus is the heart of the system and ensures efficient exhaust of contaminated air based on actual ventilation needs. The TronicVent NL (AK+) controls the natural air intake through the facade fully automatically.

The combination of the DucoGrille Close 105 and the skylight plays a crucial role in ensuring summer comfort. During hot spells, cooler outside air is drawn in through natural nighttime ventilation, while warm air can escape through the skylight. The thermal shafts in the homes enhance this chimney effect and ensure efficient vertical airflow throughout the home. This creates natural, passive cooling without the need for energy-intensive systems.

Efficient installation and easy to use

Thanks to DUCO’s modular design and logical system architecture, the installation across the 18 homes proceeded quickly and consistently. For the installer, this meant less adjustment work and a lower risk of errors, while the client benefits from a reliable and reproducible solution. For residents, the system is virtually invisible. Its automatic operation prevents misuse and ensures consistent air quality, without requiring complex controls or maintenance.

Advantages over traditional ventilation solutions

Compared to traditional ventilation systems, this DUCO solution offers clear advantages:

– up to 80% less energy consumption compared to active cooling (such as air conditioning);

– savings of up to 1,200 kWh per home per year;

– resulting in a reduction of approximately 325 kg of CO₂ emissions per year;

– demand-controlled ventilation with a focus on energy efficiency;

– a high level of living comfort, year-round; and it must be suitable for repeatable, mass housing construction;

This makes the system particularly well-suited for social housing, where comfort, cost-efficiency, and sustainability must all be balanced.

A future-proof result

The Reeve Project in Kampen demonstrates that high-quality ventilation goes hand in hand with biobased and affordable housing. By treating ventilation as an essential part of the design from the very beginning, a living environment was created that is ready for the challenges of today and tomorrow. •

Our partners in this project

Architect: Architects for Tomorrow

Client: Construction•Novum

Installer: Nijhof Installatie

DUCO dealer: Van Buuren