阿尔梅勒市有190 000居民，大多数城区都有自己的动物饲养场。‘den Uyl’公园原本也有一个，然而80年代初期被烧毁，只留下一片混凝土基础。2005年初，阿尔梅勒市政府委托我们以残存混凝土为基础，在原址设计一个新的动物饲养场。新的饲养场最终于2008年竣工，除了赞助资金，几乎没有额外投入。

饲养场设计为一个木质方形，正面上半部为开放式，保证了整个饲养场的良好通风。饲养场一半为畜棚，另一半为厕所、仓库，这一侧的二楼还有一间办公室和一间仓库。畜棚这一侧为单层，没有二楼。中间是走廊，两边是围栏围着的小动物。饲养场没有门，只有6扇百叶窗。左右两面墙上各有一扇，便于人进出，前后两面墙上各有两扇，便于动物进出。这些百叶窗会随着日出自动或手动开启，日落时关闭。动物们很快就能学会准时回到饲养场内。到了夜晚，这里就成了公园中的一座灯塔。可以说，这座建筑极大程度上维护了审美效果，同时，它每天“日出而作，日落而息”。

Most city parts of Almere, a city with almost 190.000 inhabitants, have a petting farm. In the 'den Uyl'park there used to be one, but it burned down in the early 80's, leaving only its concrete foundation.Early 2005 we were commissioned by the municipality of Almere to design a new petting farm on the exact location and the remaining foundation. The building was finally built using almost only sponsored money, and finished late 2008.

We designed a wooden box with an open facade system for the upper half of the building, allowing the wind to ventilate the whole farm continuously. Half of the building is stable; the other half consists of toilets, storage and on the second floor an office and storage. The stable itself has no second floor. As you walk lengthways through the building, you will pass the animals that are contained to the left and to the right behind fences. There are no doors in the building, but there are six shutters, two for the public on the short ends of the building and four for the animals, two on either long side of the building. These shutters will open manually or automatically in the morning, reacting on the upcoming sun, as they will close again at the end of the day, when the sun goes down. The animals will easily learn to be inside again on time, if they like. At night, the building becomes a light beacon in the park. One could say that the box, a building extensively reduced in aesthetic violence, wakes up and goes to sleep every day.