Sometimes you come across something from the past that suddenly makes it crystal clear why you've become the person you are. That's what happened to me when I rediscovered this newspaper article from 2001 – a story about my father, Fred Broers, and his visionary ideas for sustainable energy.
My father wasn't a construction worker. He was an inventor —someone who recognized concepts before the technology was fully developed. And he possessed a special gift: he knew exactly who to involve to bring his ideas to life. Engineers, technicians, universities, companies… he brought people together long before “co-creation” was even a term.
The article described his grand dream: a house that heats, cools, and powers itself – with nothing but sunlight, intelligent storage, and a dash of courage.
And that was twenty years before sustainability became a trend.
The home tent – a system that was ahead of its time
While others viewed solar energy as something for later, he asked the question: Why not now?
His concept, the Home Centrale, was a visionary system that:
stored solar heat in a heat storage unit,
The house was heated and the water was warmed.
generated electricity
and even left space for charging an electric car – at a time when nobody drove electric cars anymore.
He designed, calculated, visualized, and persuaded. And then he found the people who could build it.
That was his strength: not the tools, but the network; not the screws, but the vision.
His ideas live on in our current way of building and thinking.
Interestingly, many of his principles are still reflected in Boutique Stay today – not consciously, but because that's how we grew up:
the search for energy-efficient solutions,
Heat pumps and heat storage systems
the intelligent combination of systems,
the pursuit of self-sufficiency wherever possible,
And above all: Look at what is possible, not what is common.
This very way of thinking influences our decisions today. Not as a nostalgic story, but as a legacy of practical ideals.
Why I'm sharing this
For us, Boutique Stay is more than just beautiful houses and wonderful accommodations. It's a vision of living where comfort, nature, and smart technology come together.
And somewhere in 2001, this story begins with this article, with someone who believed that a family can be its own powerhouse.
It feels good to share this – not to look back, but to show where our sustainable roots lie.
A silent legacy that still provides guidance
My father is no longer with us, but his ideas live on: in our decisions, in our systems, in our view of energy – and above all in the way we always dare to think one step further.
This article is a tribute to him, but it also serves as a guide for ourselves. And perhaps that's why it fits so well with Boutique Stay.