Modular Timber Housing Optopper
Amsterdam, NL
Location: Flexible
Design: 2022
Status: Ongoing
Net Floor Area: 49 m2 netto
Program: Modular wooden housing
Client: BuurtBoost / VORM New Business
Contractor: DAT Bouwsystemen / VORM
Installations: SDO Zwijndrecht
Landscape: The Urban Jungle Project
PV Panel Supplier: Solarix
Associates: DAT Bouwsystemen
Photography: Roos Aldershoff,
Michel Kievits, Marijke Krekels
Why build new communities when you can build on top of them? Optopper is a circular, prefab, all-wood, biobased apartment module that can be placed on almost any post-war flat. It adds new homes without demolishing the social fabric already there, helping city centres densify while upgrading existing buildings. Developed as a scalable housing product, the system follows a clear method: about 80% standardisation and up to 20% customisation. That balance keeps design quality, supports local identity, and dramatically speeds up engineering, permitting, and construction. By working with the existing roofline, stair cores and services, Optopper turns underused airspace into a new layer of neighbourhood life—more residents, more vitality, and a more sustainable use of land and materials. It is densification as repair, not replacement.
Designed with industrial precision, Optopper moved from first sketch to a full 1:1 prototype in just three months, proving that speed can coexist with high standards. The modules come as compact studios and two- to four-room apartments, suitable for students, starters, small families, and seniors. For older residents, adding an Optopper can also justify installing an elevator, enabling comfortable ageing-in-place while improving accessibility for the whole building. Serial production, a compact one-size logic, and repeatable detailing keep costs predictable and quality consistent. Because the units are fully equipped and assembled off-site, on-site disturbance is minimised and new homes can be delivered quickly. Optopper is a future-oriented, affordable tool for circular upgrading and urban densification at scale, with confidence.
