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Houses that can be seen

What wishes do individuals cherish for having an appealing villa built? What new insights are architects implementing in new houses? Which locations in the Netherlands are in demand? Using some eye-catching examples, Jeroen Junte outlines the state of affairs in our architectural landscape.Text: Jeroen Junte
Online editing: Natasha Hendriks

Japanese wood puzzle

Freedom, tranquility and independence are prominent on the wish list of individuals looking for an appealing villa. The best place for that, of course, is in unspoiled nature. Not for nothing did the pressure on the green outdoors increase in recent years. This trend is sure to continue as pandemics and lockdowns mean we are increasingly thrown back on our immediate living environment. While house prices in Amsterdam and Rotterdam are stagnating or even falling slightly, in the past year prices sometimes rose by a dozen percent at a time in Friesland, Gelderland and, most strikingly, Twente and the Achterhoek. Because who wouldn't want to live on a gently sloping estate with sand banks, swaying reed grass, a forest edge and even a stream where deer drink? In this coulisse landscape in the east of the country stands a unique country house designed by architect Ard de Vries - nota bene his first building. As a young inspired architect, he worked with great dedication. Even before he had made a sketch, he stood with the residents in the field on a kitchen ladder. That way he could show how the sun would shine in the morning through bedroom windows the size of two soccer goals on top of each other. De Vries was awarded the Abe Bonnema Prize, the premier award for Young Architects, for this purist residence.

"But," De Vries says, "the residents are just as important to a successful design as the architect. You do it together." What is striking about the country house is that it is one with the surrounding nature. From the road it is hardly visible. Privacy and a sense of off-the-grid are a big thing these days. Besides, according to the architect, this is perhaps the most beautiful region of the Netherlands.

Swimming pool in the living room

Nowadays, an atmospheric and refined living environment can also be created with concrete. At Villa 22°, architect and resident have stretched the limits of what is possible for this purpose. "Not even two bricks were put on top of each other," says Lars Dreessen of architects Dreessen Willemse. "All the concrete was delivered in liquid form and poured on site. Because of the low insulation value of concrete, two walls had to be poured which were then filled with insulation material. Before that, a wooden house was actually built on site first. After it was filled, this formwork was removed." The high-quality concrete has the look and feel similar to natural stone. It feels smooth to the touch, almost soft. A feat is the luminous concrete wall. "Glass fibers were added to the concrete mix; LED strips were placed behind them. That light shines through the glass fibers, making it look like the wall is giving off light." As a contrast, the interior is finished with wood. "It sounds like a cliché, but the houses looks hard on the outside but is soft on the inside," laughs the architect, a former National Concrete Award winner. "That's how the resident found us."

The result is a house that may be seen - exactly what the occupant had in mind. Villa 22° stands visibly on a hill in Limburg. At the same time, it offers maximum privacy because three terraces are placed at the back against the hill. The living area is also elevated above the garage. That living area has no strict division into floors, but is actually one free space with voids, intermediate layers and exciting vistas. Even the swimming pool floats between the living layers and is directly connected to the living room with a large underwater window.

Loft in greenery

Okay, then you know what you want. You also know which architect can make that ideal a reality. But then you still have to find a building lot. And that's becoming increasingly difficult. The number of new lots being released is limited and waiting lists can be long. One solution may be to buy a building lot in a dream location. Although there are practical objections to that. Applying for a demolition permit is long and time-consuming, which to a greater extent applies to the building permit for a modernist villa on the same site. After all, on existing sites, the curb appeal requirements are a lot stricter than on regulation-free new construction plots. Why not buy pre-owned homes?

Architect Dick van Gameren of the international firm Mecanoo (current job: the renovation of the City Library of New York, the largest library in the world) transformed a 1967 bungalow into a contemporary and, above all, sustainable villa. This Villa 4.0 was voted Building of the Year by the Union of Dutch Architects. It was the architects themselves who chose this villa as Building of the Year. The 4.0 refers to the three times smaller renovations the bungalow had undergone, making it a mishmash of styles and actually losing its connection to the beautiful garden. Walls were broken away, skylights were installed and the living area was enlarged with a glass pavilion that really stands ín garden. The result was a loft-like home with expansive rooms and abundant daylight.