Living on the Edge | Arjen Reas

This project is a private assignment for an entrepreneur from the city center, and the question was posed, how could the family find peace on the edge of that same city. The site located where the city and open planes meet, and therefore has an obvious recognition that cannot be ignored. In the earlier times people here used to work with shapes for houses that were pure and plain, thatch was used as a cover for the roofs and the walls where made out of stones and a clay plaster. The architect was challenged to fuse together traditional ideals with a contemporary house design, a cubistic shape placed in a desolate landscape, where all urban feeling is gone when you look at the surroundings. Contemporary rural living was chosen as a project to mix the two in pure form. New Dutch Design When working with pure forms it’s also important to look at simplicity, durability and expression. The mix of two very different but recognizable materials in the Dutch landscape results in a both a modern and traditional structure. The fine texture of the thatch in combination with the smooth white plaster surfaces a house is formed that is very modern and traditional at the same time. The compactness of the thatch gives optimal protection against the elements. The interior successfully combines natural materials creating something unique. By designing a natural interior certain tranquility arises throughout each room and now there is also room left for the residents to restyle their space continuously. One of the priorities while designing this house was to provide the residents with a magnificent view of the scenic landscape. This was successfully done within each room in the house. Daylight falls deep into the house and lights up the space within and gives it a dynamic character during the day, while by night the house radiates its light to its surroundings and thereby marking its position in the landscape. Lay-out Via the slope residents can park their car in the basement, where there are also two extra storage rooms and an entrance to go up by stairs and enter the main living space with a beautiful open kitchen where all the modern comforts are integrated in. When walking through this open space towards the large transparent slide doors, you immediately get pulled to go into the garden. Here you can sit and relax or walk on the plateau to oversee the whole landscape. The main entrance is surprisingly spacious and with its transparent separation with the kitchen a lot of light is coming in. Here you can enter the scullery, toilet, wardrobe or walk straight up the stairs to the second level. On this level you can go to the main bedroom, the second bathroom and three other bedrooms. In the master bedroom the residents can choose to go and have a spacious shower or to go and take a bath before or after going to bed. When sitting in bath or lying in bed, you still have a great open view at the landscape. S’intitola “Living on the Edge”, ovvero “Vivere al Confine” il progetto per una casa privata realizzata dallo studio d’architettura olandese Arjen Reas a Zoetermeer (Olanda). Progettettata su commissione di un imprenditore, la casa da 744 mq è collocata al confine tra città e camagna: “la sfida è stata fondere asseiem la tradizione architettonica residenziale locale - fatta di case spoglie e tetti in paglia - e un design contemporaneo, dar vita a una forma “cubista” collocata in un paesaggio solitario, estraneao alla città”, spiegano da Arjen Reas. “Quando si lavora con le forme pure è importante guardare alla semplicità, alla durevolezza e all’espressività. L’accostamento di paglia e intonaco bianco, due materiali così diversi tra loro ma così riconoscibili nel paesaggio olandese, origina una struttura al contempo moderna e universale” – proseguono dallo studio. Uno degli aspetti fondamentali che ha guidato la fase di progettazione è stata la volontà di dotare tutti gli ambienti della casa di vista sul paesaggio esterno: a tal fine tutti gli ambienti della casa sono dotati di ampie finestre o porte-finiestre a tutt’altezza, scelta che comporta tra l’altro un’ottima illuminazione naturale degli interni durante le ore diurne. Oltre che dal pian terreno, la casa è accessibile dal seminterrato (che ospita un garage e due magazzini) tramite una scala comunicante con lo spazio principale della zona giorno: una grande cucina “open” super accessoriata. Porte scorrevoli trasparenti separano gli spazi e conducono al giardino. L'ingresso principale è sorprendentemente spazioso, una parete trasparente separa questo spazio dalla cucina. Da qui è possibile accedere a retrocucina, servizi igienici, guardaroba o salire su per le scale ragguingere il secondo livello, doe si trovano la camera da letto principale e altre tre stanze da letto di minori dimensioni, e un secondo bagno. Tratto catatteristico della camera da letto principale i residenti è una spaziosa vasca da bagno bianca, dove concedersi momenti di relax gustandosi la vista aperta sul paesaggio esterno.