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Architects: BERG + KLEIN
- Area: 269 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Christian Richters
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Manufacturers: Mosa, Solarlux, Saint-Gobain, Aesy Liften, Bellfires, Cassina, Eames, Flos, Solar Frontier
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Lead Architects: Rogier van den Berg, Heidi Klein
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Building Physics: BouwNext, Ben Hartman, Thomas van Helden
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Garden Design and Rooftop Vegetation: Monster, Allure Tuinen
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Structural Engineering: B2CO, Richard Fielt
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Subcontractor Concrete: De Hilster Betonwerken, ‘s Gravenzande
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Electrical Installations: Elektravon, P.Tangel, Naaldwijk
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Interior Design: Heidi Klein, Rogier van den Berg in collaboration with P. Hupkes
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Contractor: Zwarts Bouwbedrijf, Naaldwijk
Text description provided by the architects. BERG + KLEIN designed a loft in the landscape in the dunes of the Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The basic idea of Villa H was to have an open floor plan, a view, and limited but very specific spaces.
In the discussions with the client in the beginning of the design process, it became clear that he had true ambitions to create architecture on a scale that fits him personally. BERG + KLEIN and the client talked about architecture and design with references coming from Chile, Mexico, Brazil. Combining concrete, wood and natural stone in a beautiful landscape guided the design from the onset.
Villa H is a horizontal design with one vertical element, a staircase in between two concrete walls that links the sous-terrain, the bel-etage, and the rooftop terrace. The dedication in the design has been on the composition and exact dimension of tailor-made spaces; the terrace in the garden with a long view to the dune forest, a living room with a fireplace, the entrance as a classic vestibule. Important for the design are the cantilevered edges of the house. They give it a horizontal articulation and frame the landscape between the floor and the ceiling.
The construction of the house is 80% concrete molded on site. The walls of the sous-terrain and the vertical walls at both sides of the staircase are exposed concrete. To have the best possible result of concrete molding for the nine meters high bearing walls, a horizontal wooden mold was made on site. The walls were molded horizontally and later, with the use of two cranes, placed in the center of the house.
The design is a 'glass-house' typology with an open facade to the garden. The architects and the client decided to have large-scale wooden frames, creating a warm atmosphere. The frames are made from stained Western Red Cedar. The scale of the frames is in most cases 2 meters 30 wide and 3 meter high. At the terrace, which is positioned to have the longest possible view to the forest nearby, three of these frames can slide open. This creates an opening of almost 7 meters, which blends the living room with the surrounding garden.
Wooden Brise-soleils that slide along the entire perimeter of the house in between the cantilevered roof and floor provide shade where needed plus privacy to the open bathroom and bedroom. The house makes use of sustainable infrastructure with natural ventilation, a rooftop with vegetation and solar cells and an air-driven heat pump.
The architects worked closely together with the client on the interior design. The aim was to create an open and warm interior, tailor-made for the client. His own ideas about the interior and the selection of furniture were very much inspired by the design process of the Villa. The furniture selection in Villa H includes among others Cassina, Vitra, and Flos with Eames and Rietveld chairs.
