In the hamlet of De Heide near Sint Nicolaasga (Friesland), a new company with a passion for biobased materials is emerging on a modern abbey (Nij Abbey). Initiator Jan Geuvert Hoogkamp even has plans for a Tiny House community.
Jan Geuvert, owner of De Heidepleats, explains enthusiastically: “Heidepleats is an authentic farmhouse dating back to 1884, where a vineyard was planted in 2005. Together with others, we form a residential community with 40 hectares of agricultural land. NEKST Biobased Materials is a startup born from our passion for sustainable living and building.”
Paulownia and Miscanthus
Since last year, several biobased crops such as Miscanthus and Paulownia trees have been planted. The Frisian entrepreneur is proud of this expansion: “From this foundation, we develop materials and knowledge that contribute to a circular future. One of our goals is to provide lightweight, strong, and sustainable Paulownia wood and climate-friendly Miscanthus fiber products that align with the values of the Tiny House community: building light, capturing CO₂, and treating the earth responsibly. ”
Paulownia is a fast-growing wood species known for its light weight, high strength, and beautiful grain. The wood comes from the Paulownia tree, which requires little water and grows quickly in poor soil. Miscanthus (elephant grass) thrives in the Netherlands, without fertilizer, irrigation, or pesticides: “During growth, it captures large amounts of CO₂, and after harvest, it produces a fiber-rich material that, as a mulch layer, supports the soil and water management. It can also be used in construction, as insulation, both as pressed board and loose material. Our harvest is perfectly adequate for this, but that market is still in its infancy, so we’re initially focusing on other applications, such as soil improvement.”
The crops and trees naturally need time to grow: “Because our own biobased material isn’t yet available, but we do want to create our own sales market, we’re still using biobased material from other producers for the time being.”
Community with Tiny Houses
Jan Geuvert is brimming with plans for further development of the area. He announces their latest initiative with a smile: “We’ll soon be in talks with the municipality to develop ten Tiny Houses on our site. These Tiny Houses, together with the farm, form the heart of our ‘community.’ The word ‘mienskip’ is a very old Frisian word that doesn’t quite translate into the Dutch word for a community. Mienskip goes further and dates back to the time when the Frisians waged a joint battle against the water to protect their terps. The same philosophy drives NEKST to join forces to combat climate change.”
More information can be found at: www.nekstbio.nl
You can also find NEKST in the TinyFindy listings.
This article was written in collaboration with Nekst Biobased Materials
Leave a Reply