STUDIOMARCOVERMEULEN was rewarded with honorable mention for in the d3 Housing Tomorrow Competition for their project entitled “Living Landscape.” The central theme for the design is the landscape experience, with a study of the traditional Dutch housing as a typological precedent.
More images from this project after the break.
Living Landscape 1.0 is the first design in a series. Its roots lay within traditional Dutch housing which has a back-to-back orientation with a density of approximately 36 dwellings per hectare. What sets Living Landscape 1.0 apart is the that the dwelling are situated front to back. The density of the Dutch housing is maintained. The orientation was shifted to provide optimal orientation towards the sun for all of the dwellings in the proposal.
Each plot is orientation with its side walls to the street, allowing for the garden and backyard to have a stereet edge in an effort to enhance the liveliness in the neighborhood. The extension of the garden into the street is a departure from conventional back-to-back private homes. With this shift of orientation the housing are semi-detached.
The roofs of the houses are grass covered, giving a sculptural and extended view of the landscape from the living rooms of neighboring dwellings. The living rooms are located under the sculptural lifted roof, providing more daylight into the public area of the house. Other rooms such as the bedrooms, storage areas and bathrooms are located on the ground floor. A patio provides outdoor access and extra daylight into the smaller bedrooms and dining room.