Villa SR | Reitsema & partners architects
Rijssen / Netherlands / 2013
When older houses are preserved, it is often because of their recyclability. They have high ceilings, daylight, large rooms and wide doors. But there is one more important reason we don’t demolish them. We love them, because their architecture is good and they are made of beautiful materials. Preserve your house, or make a new one with a high long term value, and you make your house more environmental friendly. By not only looking at the cost of the total investments, but being aware of the monthly costs, sustainable solutions become feasible. The clients, a married couple in their fifties whose children have left home, in first instance felt that their Villa on the newly acquired dream site in Rijssen should be 350 m2. Nevertheless, after the first design brainstorm, their first decision was to halve the desired size of the house. With a compact setup priority could be given to good materials and energy-‐saving solutions over the number of square metres. A compact setup also meant a chance to focus on the most specific quality of the building location: it’s view. The Villa was to be built among a number of other villas on a plot on an ordinary residential street but with a most unusual view from the back gardens. Designed to face this beautiful landscape Villa SR simply and naturally captures the landscape as a large picture frame, in order to amplify it. It does so, not only for its residents, but also for the passersby, connecting the surrounding landscape with the neighborhood. The carport lies in line with the street plan and just shows the tip of the ‘Holter mountain’ in the distance. Plus in June, exactly at that same spot the sun sets. The overhang, that in summer for shade, provides a terrace over the full width of the house. A second terrace is found in the patio which is behind the brick façade; ideal for breakfast in the morning hours. An additional evening patio can be found in the lee of the carport and is ideally suited for an intimate dinner. A sliding door makes it possible to close the space off from the streets, while providing shelter from the wind. A setup which enables to dwell in concurrence with the landscape. By involving the construction engineer already on a very early stage in the design process the design team managed to guarantee maximum transparency towards the landscape. Lifted just above the ground, the open floor plan the concrete roof is supported by only three 100-‐mm outer walls and three 60-‐ mm diameter chrome columns. Asking the brick supplier to add yellow clay and to burn the batch of bricks very close to the fire of the oven, we were able to create a richness of colors and a glazed look here and there. From a distance the stones look remotely flat and dark, but from more up close a shiny shade of black and yellow appears, offering a new interpretation of a local product. Encouraged by the design, father and son -‐ both experienced carpenters -‐ felt enabled to choose to build the building themselves. Personally involved they were committed very accurate execution while forming motivated collocutors to improving them further. This integrated design approach resulted in a timeless architectonic gesture, in which long term value and high comfort per m2 instead of the total numbers of m2 are key. Low-‐tech, in order to produce high-‐ quality space. The Villa includes the use of a heat pump, a low temperature floor heating system and a cooling ceiling, combined with high quality thermal insulation. Frames, grilles, curtain rails and other connections are all custom designed and integrated. Guided by the design principle of “less is more”, no distracting elements obscure it’s clarity. The investigating attitude and ongoing engagement of al parties in designing this sustainable almost-‐passive house resulted in a high quality and poetic architectural dream and ensur
When older houses are preserved, it is often because of their recyclability. They have high ceilings, daylight, large rooms and wide doors. But there is one more important reason we don’t demolish them. We love them, because their architecture is...
- Year 2013
- Work finished in 2013
- Status Completed works
- Type Single-family residence
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