Furniture maker Ronald van der Zwaag found the tower on Marktplaats
Translated by Thomas Ansell
Leeuwarden’s Techum district is home to a number of tiny houses, several of which push home design in new directions. Now, though, they are about to be joined by something quite unique: the top portion of Groningen Airport Eelde’s old air traffic control tower has recently been craned into position. As reported by the Omrop Fryslân.
The new ‘tiny house’ is about 5.5 metres by 5.5 metres, so despite being quite small it is likely to be somewhat roomy inside. Van der Zwaag has faced some competition from other tiny house owners; who evidently believe that being smaller than a locker is desirable: “people have already said that they can’t even store their underpants [because their house is so small], but I have other tastes. If the house was to be that small, I don’t think I’d have gone ahead with the project.”
“All of the old parts of the control tower will also be transported here, so we’ll use lots of original glass. It can be opened on both sides, so the first floor will be like a large terrace”, says Van der Zwaag. “It was formerly used in Groningen as a clubhouse, and it had slightly decayed, so it was put on Marktplaats. I was already involved in building tiny houses, and when I saw the advert I thought ‘that could be something great’.”
Van der Zwaag will have to work quickly, though, as he wants the property to be water-tight by winter. Aside from the original windows, he plans on installing a wind-sock, for the full airfield feel.
Image of the current air traffic control tower at Groningen Airport Eelde
