The house from the beginning of the 20th century was originally the staff residence of the adjacent main house “Malgre tout”. The main house and staff house are seen as examples of the development of country estates in the municipality. As an ensemble, the buildings and the surrounding gardens are of great cultural-historical value. The ensemble has the status of a national monument. The carefully detailed house is built in red brick under a thatched wolf roof. The staff house originally included a garage, horsestables and a driver's house.
In 2018, a design was made for the restoration and modernization of the service residence including a modern extension. A large living room and kitchen will be realized in the extension. A veranda will be added to the extension. Living room and veranda offer a view of a beautiful Hortensia garden. The extension is completely transparent on the side of the garden. On the other side, the extension is embraced by an openwork masonry wall. The wall becomes more transparent towards the edges. By using a heat pump installation with a source, high-quality insulation, and by completely filling the roof of the extension with solar panels, the service house will soon be completely energy neutral.
| Architects | Gerrit-Jan van Rijswijk |
A total of 269 houses and apartments are being built by various parties in the Stelt Zuid, part of the “Waalsprong” near Nijmegen. De Stelt Zuid occupies a special position as a green enclave between the village of Lent and the river. Four combinations of architectural firm and developer work together here on a new residential area, with a central orchard and the dike zone as structuring elements.
Commissioned by BPD, we made the design for 12 dike houses in the dike zone. The houses have a living area of approximately 190 m2 and all have a fantastic view from the living floor over the Waal and the city of Nijmegen. There is parking at the bottom of the houses, on the first floor the master bedroom, kitchen and backyard are situated on the dike, on the second floor the living room with a view of the Waal and the third floor can be set up as a sleeping and / or work space. The houses are gas-free and the roof is fitted with solar panels.
The height differences of the dike area are reflected in the gardens and the transition to the struing area along the dike. From the terrace of the houses you can walk towards the banks of the Waal.
The houses were put on sale in December 2019.
For the Hoge Rijndijk location in Zoeterwoude, a new construction plan has been developed for an apartment building with starter homes, after demolition of the existing office building. The building stands on the edge of the large-scale buildings that are currently being built between the Oude Rijn and the Hoge Rijndijk, and the existing residential area from the 1980s. It adjacents to a small park on the east side. The new building has been placed in the building line of the Rijndijk and thus strengthens the profile of the road. The parking spaces are located in the rear area, lined by green. By dividing the building mass in three, a smaller scale is created, which is further reinforced with differences in brickwork and roof shape. The building will contain 34 residential units of approximately 50 m2 and a bicycle storage. An extremely energy-efficient and sustainable design is achieved with individual heat pumps and solar panels on the roof.
The permit application is being processed, implementation is expected in 2021.
Villa Meijendel takes its name from the nature reserve in which it is located, where a forest meets a valley of dunes. The house is constructed from concrete and set into the side of a sandy slope. The building's design aims to create a dialogue with its surroundings, both through the way the form and materials engage with the landscape, and through the use of glass to provide views out from and into the house.
The boxy geometric structure is entirely clad in charred timber, creating a textured black surface that appears different depending on how sunlight falls on it. The exterior finish, inspired by the ancient Japanese shou sugi ban technique, also helps to preserve the wood. Sometimes the house is almost invisible against the dark edge of the forest, sometimes it sparkles in the sunlight because of the glittering charred wood, as such forming a background for the play of shadows of tree trunks and branches. The villa hides and reveals itself in the landscape.
The property has its entrance on a middle level accommodating an office and two bedrooms. Stairs ascend to an open-plan kitchen and living space, and drop down to a master bedroom and gym room.
The living room features a full-height corner window that looks out through the trees towards the dune valley. A lower window facing to the rear and a large glazed surface lining the adjacent double-height circulation area face out onto the forest. At the far end of the first floor, sliding glass doors lead out from the kitchen onto a terrace.
The material palette –concrete, steel and anodised aluminium– was chosen to complement the tones and textures of the surrounding environment. Each material is applied in a raw, untreated form. Internally, the walls are finished with smooth concrete, while the rough-sawn Douglas fir beams supporting the ceilings feature a distinctive grain.
West 8, Adriaan Geuze, is responsible for the garden design.
Photography is by Christian van der Kooy
In cooperation with Smits bouwbedrijf, VVKH has won the european tender to develop a new housingarea in district Dieperhout in Leiden. The project consists of 48 dwellings, 12 apartments and a care facility of 1500m². Start of the constructionwork is planned in may 2015, because thats when a current school will move to a new building and the site will be available.
