Stackable timber modular system debuts in Netherlands

Named after xýlo, the Greek word for wood, the Xylino residential project is the first example of a fully LVL building in the Netherlands. Its developers say it demonstrates the scalability of the system.

Xylino was completed in early 2026 by housing corporation De Alliantie with builder Koopmans Bouwgroep. It has 103 homes including mid-market rental units and social housing apartments, plus a courtyard and semi-underground parking area.

The building is made of 436 prefabricated wooden modules manufactured by geWOONhout. Teams were able to install up to 12 modules a day, completing up to four apartments simultaneously. Each full residential block took around a month to build.

Each module has four corner columns and integrated floor and roof elements, creating an interlocking assembly without the need for a concrete core.

A digital design platform contains a digital twin of every building component with dimensions, specifications and end-of-life instructions.

Full load-bearing structures are wrapped with fire protection to meet regulatory standards for multi-storey housing, while additional mass was added to floors to reduce noise pollution.

Bas Broeke, Koopmans Bouwgroep’s project manager, comments on Xylino’s scalability: “This system is ready to be repeated. The way it works here means we can apply it in many more places.”

Aafke Van der Werf, geWOONhout’s director, said: “The best thing about Xylino is that you can’t tell from the outside that it was built using industrialised methods. To me, that proves that architectural freedom and modular construction can go hand in hand.”

The project follows in the footsteps of timber projects by technology behemoths Amazon and Meta, a 44m-tall affordable tower in Oregon and a 519 home neighbourhood close to Amsterdam.

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