Silo Living

Tall grain silos are a familiar sight in rural Dutch landscapes. What’s less well-known is that many stand empty and redundant due to agricultural optimisation and climate-goal-related reduced livestock. Costly to dispose of and impossible to recycle, farmers often just leave them standing. Acting on a childhood fascination, Stella van Beers repurposes this obsolete item from a seven-metre storage container into a two-level watchtower residence. Accessible via a spiral staircase, this vertical human shelter features a light-filled living area, loft bedroom and lookout porthole for rooftop views.  The use of standard components allows for endless adaptation possibilities. In prototyping a universal silo conversion method, Stella van Beers applies a personal interest to the broader issue of repurposing post-agricultural equipment.