Hasta La Ideas

Slideshow: Amsterdam design studio Denieuwegeneratie have buried a woodland villa beneath a mound of earth at a Dutch nature reserve.

The manmade hill disguises the building on its northern facade and creates a blanket of insulation around the walls during colder months.

Entitled Dutch Mountain, the house emerges from the hill on the southern and western sides, where a panelled wall of glazing folds around a staggered living room and kitchen.

Bedrooms, bathrooms and utility rooms are stacked up at the rear of the house in front of an exposed concrete wall that separates them from the piled-up earth behind.

A reconditioned car with its engine removed is positioned vertically against the walls of the kitchen to function as a bookshelf and cabinet.

We’ve featured a few interesting Dutch houses on Dezeen over the last few years – see them all here.

Exterior photography is by John Lewis Marshall, while interior photography is by Jaap Vliegenthart.

Here’s a description of the project from Denieuwegeneratie:

Dutch Mountain

The house is located on a historical agricultural plot amidst hayfields and woods in a nature reserve, a – for Dutch standards – hilly area. Although the plot has been overrun with small trees in time, it still bears the original character of the open field.

To minimize disturbance of the landscape and as a reference to the surrounding hilly terrain, the house is embedded in an artificial hill. At the same time, this answered the client’s demand for keeping his ecological footprint with the house to a minimum.

The embedding in the hill simultaneously functions as camouflage and as a blanket, hiding the house from view from the north side and using the earth as thermal insulation. One enters the house through cuts in the mountain, sided with panels of slowly corroding scrap steel.

On the south side, the house has been opened to a maximum. The grand glass facade is framed in timber, which guides the transition from the artificial to the natural. The canopy regulates sunshine through the seasons and allows for a large terrace along the full width of the house.

The terrace follows the split level of the ground floor, jumps up to the higher west façade creating a henhouse underneath. Finally, it curls back up to become the canopy. The frame is constructed out of lark wood, forested from the immediate surroundings and therefore making it a hyperlocal use of material.

Detailing creates a seamless transition between the interior and the exterior: the concrete floor, window frames and terrace finishing are all flush and continuous from inside to outside.

The spatial structure of the house is a rectangular 12 x 19 meter open space. Steel cross the entire 12 meter width allowing great flexibility to the interior arrangement. Inside the hall-like space, the rooms are stacked in a disorderly manner and built out of light wooden structures, facilitating easy implementation of possible future changes. The interior can evolve along with its inhabitants, a young family, rooms being added or removed through time.

There is a binary spatial experience in the house. Either you are in a room, with a cave-like atmosphere, daylight coming to you through deep cuts in the mountain – or you are in the large open space in front of the stacked rooms. This large space is oriented towards the 90 m2 glass facade which offers a spectacular view of the surrounding woods.

The contrast between shell and rooms is clearly visible. The concrete wall, needed to retain the mass of the mountain, is left unfinished. The welding joints of the steel spans are visible and the wood is untreated. Within this rough shell of untreated construction materials, the stack of rooms tells a completely different story: every room is finished by the inhabitants in a unique and colorful way, which expresses the individuality of the boxes.

The design is an experiment in sustainable strategies in both architecture – the hardware – and the technical installations – the software – which have been designed by Arup Amsterdam. The software concept consists of photovoltaics, LED lighting, wood pellet heating in combination with low temperature heating, CO2 monitored ventilation, a grey water circuit and the use of smart domotics. The result is a house in which the total amount of energy produced exceeds its consumption: excess energy can be used for a electric car.

The house is bold and unpredictable: an experiment in sustainable strategies in concept, structure, material and technical installations. A house that blends quietly in its surroundings, but stands out with spatial surprises.

Japanese architects Junya Ishigami + Associates and Dutch studio MAKS have won a competition to co-design a visitor centre for a nineteenth century park in the north of the Netherlands.

The proposals for Park Groot Vijversburg include the renovation of an existing villa, new greenhouses and an outdoor stage.

The visitor centre is conceived at the intersection of three pathways through the park and will feature curved walls that continue the lines of these routes.

The renovated park is scheduled to complete in 2014 and will also include a 15-hectare extension designed by a team of landscape architects.

Junya Ishigami recently filled an exhibition room with an invisible installation – watch a movie about it here.

Here’s some more text from MAKS:

Junya.Ishigami + Associates and MAKS / Marieke Kums have been selected for a set of architectural interventions for Park Groot Vijversburg in Tytsjerk, The Netherlands.

Park Groot Vijversburg, located in the north of Holland was established in the 19th century and contains a rich history of flora and fauna. A historical villa is centrally placed in the park. Throughout the year, the park hosts many events such as international exhibitions of contemporary art, musical performances, church services and excursions.

The goal is to design a new visitor center, renovate the historical villa, develop a floating stage for performances, and create glasshouses for the botanical gardens.

One of our main proposals is a visitor center, positioned next to the historical villa. In plan, the form is as if pulled tightly in three directions while maintaining a required main hall.

As the main hall stretches, it gradually becomes a path – naturally transforming into a park trail. This slowly pulled wing loses its quality of interior space as one progresses along it, leaving only its wall, until it finally disappears into the park environment.

In this way, the building establishes a large scale similar to that of the generous park, and at the same time, the enclosed space provides small scale ambiance and intimacy. This is our aspiration for the new visitor center.

This building is an architectural project, but it also can be imagined as part of the landscape.
The visitor center, along with the other projects, is planned for completion in 2014.

Parallel to the above projects, a Dutch team of LOLA Landscape, Deltavormgroep and Piet Oudolf will design a 15 hectares extension to the park. Tobias Rehberger, a German artist, was selected to create a second park extension including several new works of art.

Architects: Junya ishigami + Associates and MAKS / Marieke Kums
Location: Tytsjerk, The Netherlands
All engineering: ABT B.V.
Building area: 1,000 m2
Program: Visitor center / auditorium / gallery, meeting spaces & offices, green houses, performance areas

A staircase at the centre of this Amsterdam apartment has risers that are almost but not quite at right angles to the treads.

Added during a renovation by Dutch studio Laura Álvarez Architecture, the white steel stairs climb up between the kitchen and lounge areas of an open-plan living room.

The staircase leads up to a bathroom and two bedrooms that feature exposed wooden eaves and an 11-metre-long shared closet.

You can check out all our stories about staircases that are a little out of the ordinary here.

Photography is by Ewout Huibers.

Here’s a full explanation from Laura Álvarez:

Apartment Singel by laura alvarez architecture

Dutch firm laura alvarez architecture has completed the renovation and interior design of a two-floor apartment in Amsterdam. The building is catalogued as a national monument.

Architect Alvarez says: The main idea was to transform the dark and claustrophobic existing apartment into a bright loft and at the same time bring into view special elements of the ancient building.

A 70 m2 living area is located on the first floor. It is conceived as a continuous space capable to host different living activities without dividing them into different rooms.

A light steel staircase creates a transition between cooking and dining area. A series of satin-glass walls have been introduced in the upper floor to bring natural light into the lower level and the bathroom.

An oak grey-painted window bench provides a seat to enjoy the beautiful view towards the Amsterdam channels. It is also thought as storage cabinets.

A nut-wood sliding door gives the possibility to close off the entrance hall from the living space. As the clients enjoy very much cooking, the kitchen has been designed with special kitchen appliances to fulfil all their needs.

On the upper floor we can find a guest room and the main sleeping room . Both spaces are experienced as one large room that can be split into two in case of need. The bathroom is situated between these two rooms. Existing plaster walls have been removed in order to bring the old roof-beams into view.

An eleven meter long closet has been designed to be used as storage and as wardrobe. An existing colourful closet is been used to define the height of the closet and to break the long white line of the new furniture.

An indirect light is been placed above the closet to accentuate the continuity of the space. Lighting has been carefully chosen and indirect light has been designed to allow different possibilities to the apartment.

Frameless doors and plain plinths contribute to perceive the space asa secuence of pure and sharp surfaces. The bamboo floor gives a warm feeling upstairs whereas on the first floor a gray epoxy floor creates a balanced contrast with the nut wood elements.

Location: Singel, Amsterdam
, The Netherlands
Architect: laura alvarez architecture
Constructor: Smart Interiors
Woodworks: Kooijmans Interieurs
Project Year: 2011-2012
Area: 120 m2

Lightning: Foscarini, Rotaliana, Tom Dixon, Arturo Alvarez, Delta Light
Furniture: Piet Hein Eek, La Palma, Fernando Jimenez
Kitchen appliances: Boretti
Bathroom: AET, Hansa, Villeroy & Bosch

Competition: we’ve teamed up with Dutch author Jeroen Junte to give readers the chance to win one of five copies of his new book, Hands On: 21st Century Dutch Design.

The 280-page book gives an insight into the workspaces of designers including Joost van Bleiswijk and Kiki van Eijk, Aldo Bakker, Maarten Baas, Joep van Lieshout, Studio Makkink & Bey and Joris Laarman.

It also includes eight interviews with Dutch designers who use artisanal working methods, demonstrate a flirtation with art, engage in rigorous conceptual research or work with innovative prototypes and production techniques. There is also a chapter devoted to the institutions that support critical design in the Netherlands.

To enter this competition email your name, age, gender, occupation, and delivery address and telephone number to competitions@dezeen.com with “Hands On” in the subject line. We won’t pass your information on to anyone else; we just want to know a little about our readers.

Read our privacy policy here.

Competition closes 6 February 2012. Five winners will be selected at random and notified by email. Winners’ names will be published in a future edition of our Dezeenmail newsletter and at the bottom of this page. Dezeen competitions are international and entries are accepted from readers in any country.

Subscribe to our newsletter, get our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter for details of future competitions.

Can’t wait to find out who won? Order your copy from W Books.

Here are some more details from author Jeroen Junte:

Dutch design in the 21st Century

What is Dutch design? You can ask a designer from Brazil, a critic from Germany or an art lover from Italy. Indeed, this shows the extent of its global fame. Our main export products are no longer cheese, tulips and, ok, marijuana, but design with a twist. Because wherever you ask, the answer is always the same: Dutch design is adventurous, singular and well thought-out.

Opinions differ widely on when exactly Dutch design originated. Did it start with Droog in the early 90s? Or much earlier, sometime in the early twentieth century, with Gerrit Rietveld? Or maybe just at the beginning of the new millennium, when the rest of the world discovered what these indomitable Dutch designers were capable of? It is certain that the term Dutch design only came in use in the past ten years. Before that, it was simply called Droog Design, and even further back, the Netherlands didn’t even play a significant role in international design at all. So it is strange that there is no book that provides a good overview of Dutch design in the 21st century.

Of course, the role which Droog – which is what the design platform Droog Design now calls itself – has played in the rise of Dutch design can scarcely be overestimated. In the early 90s, humour and intelligence brought an end to the reign of slick Italian design. No more luscious curls or bright colours, and certainly no shiny chrome, but a chandelier made up of about forty bare bulbs knotted together and a chair that is just a bundle of old rags. Thanks to Droog’s rebellious anti-design, the Netherlands were squarely placed on the map as the birthplace of progressive design talent in one fell swoop. Although only a dozen rag chairs and scrap wood cabinets were ever made, they did become design classics. Droog has changed opinions about design forever – it’s not just about products, but also about ideas. That is why Droog-founder Renny Ramakers is given a special place in this book.

The transition to a new century marks the transition from the avantgarde of Droog to the established order of Dutch design. Droog’s critical approach to designing has evolved into an open mentality in which nothing is predetermined, and everything is up for discussion. In the 21st century, Dutch designers create products that are elegant and very accessible, exuberant or simply breathtakingly beautiful. Dutch design stands for exclusive showpieces, but also a useful utensils. It indiscriminately utilises both traditional artisanal methods and digital production techniques, but it is always adventurous, singular and well
thought-out. And, very important: it is manufactured in the designer’s own workshop.

The fact that this design originated precisely in the Netherlands has a historical explanation. The Dutch are no strangers to inventing and conceiving a product from scratch. This is after all how their country was created: God created the earth but the Dutch claimed their own land from the sea. And their Calvinist national character gave them their sober mentality; it is not enough to be beautiful, a good product must also be efficient and properly thought out, preferably even improve the world. Add to that the critical design education, in which “market thinking” and “economic viability” are anything but guiding principles.

And do not forget the generous government, which is sponsoring designers so they can work in peace. In this environment it is almost natural that a designer develops a critical mind-set and sets up his own workshop to experiment.

This book aims to give a current overview of this Dutch design. Not just by showing products, but also by allowing the designers to explain their work. These designers were chosen on the basis of the four dominant themes in Dutch design: the artisanal working method, the flirtation with art, conceptual research and innovative prototypes and production techniques. In each of these four chapters there are interviews with two designers with a unique vision; these eight designers were not selected because of their renown or international success, but because their design demonstratively reveals the trends in traditional, artistic, conceptual and innovative design. In addition, there is a separate chapter devoted to the companies and institutions – such as museums – that enable designers to produce independent and critical work.

The world faces major challenges in the 21st century. The common ways of producing and consuming are under pressure because of differences in wealth, environmental degradation and resource scarcity. Increasingly, designers are being asked to formulate answers to these major issues. The critical and investigative Dutch design can play an obvious role in shaping the future. This is exactly why this book is not only an overview, but also an exploration of the future.

Author: Jeroen Junte
Photos: Maarten Schets
Art direction: Hansje van Halem
ISBN 978 90 891 0297 3
Price : € 49,50
Omvang: 280 pag., 24 x 30 cm
Illustr.: 400 in color
Edition: hard cover
Language: Dutch and English

Newly positioned windows reveal the overhauled interior of a Rotterdam townhouse that was formerly an abandoned apartment block.

Designed by Studio Rolf.fr in partnership with Zecc Architecten, Black Pearl now houses a workshop on its ground floor, a hot tub in its rooftop greenhouse and living quarters in the two floors between.

These living areas are filled with furniture by Studio Rolf.fr, including cabinets that appear to be sliced in half and chairs wrapped in bandages.

Traces of stripped away floor joists are visible on both exposed and painted brickwork walls, while new partitions and floors are grey-painted timber.

The facade of the 100-year-old building is painted black, but the side elevation and roof are covered with artificial grass.

The architects recently received an award from furniture brand Lensvelt, who named the project as the best interior of the year in the Netherlands or Belgium.

If you’re interested in Dutch houses, you can see more here.

Photography is by Frank Hanswijk.

Here’s some more text from the architects:

Black Pearl Rotterdam South

Social context

This house takes part of a program of the congregation Rotterdam who wanted to revitalize disadvantaged neighbourhoods by selling metier houses to private persons.

These homes have in common that they are neglected the last few years and have to be refreshed. The buildings usually consist of several small apartments, one per layer.

The purpose of the municipality by selling the buildings is to attract inhabitants with more carrying-capacity. Condition of sale is that the property will be restored within a specified period and will transformed into one house. This causes less, but larger houses. This is the opposite trend to what happens in many inner cities where larger houses are divided into several small apartments.

The renovation of the Rotterdam ‘metier house’ is turned into an architectural spectacle, where was experimented with time and space. The 100 years old facade of a dwelling in a closed housing unit, is totally painted black. Both masonry, frames and “windows” are covered with a shiny black oil. This creates a kind of ‘shadow’ of the original facade. In some places the new transparent windows pierce through the historical facade. The new windows announce a time with a very different way of living. This creates a relationship between the original facade and the new interpretation which become readable. All floors and small rooms behind the old windows run into one spatially contiguous entity.

Just like in the façade, also in the interior the traces of the past remained visible. On the building walls an old banister and holes of removed floor joists reveal the original layout of the dwelling. The new house in the 100 year old cover has a completely different planning. The traditional layout of floors and walls, which compose the rooms are missing. Instead a series of small wooden slats compose a huge sculptural element.

By this is a continuous space is left between the four walls of the historic building. This creates living spaces, which are connected by voids, large stairwells and long sightlines. All redundant banisters, railings and doors are left out, causing a high degree of spatial abstraction. Floors, walls, stairs and ceilings blend together and seem to recall an “Escher-like” impossibility. Yet this metier house (that has been empty for nearly 30 years) is far from uninhabitable. In the lower part of the house a large workroom is placed connected to the ‘roof tiles-bamboo garden’. Above is a series of semi-open living functions: living, eating, cooking, study, sleeping and a bathroom / closet.

The old roof tiles are removed in the upper part (re-used in the garden) and a new greenhouse is placed with a hot tub with a stunning view.

New interpretation: three worlds

The existing building is used as a box to build a completely new house in it. All walls and floors of the house were demolished which created a space of 5 meters wide, 10 meters long and 11 meters high. In and up this box three different “worlds” are stacked: the studio, the house and the roof garden. On the ground floor, the 5 meters high studio is built. This studio space is kept as open as possible. This is achieved by organizing the necessary facilities along the walls as much as possible, in one continuous element. The living area is placed above the studio with a height of 6 meters. In this space, a sculpture is build which divides space into several areas without creating closed rooms. The object is designed and situated in a way that in several places views arise which emphasize the entire length, width and height of the place. The design is concentrated on the residual spaces between the object and the existing walls.

Materialization sculpture

The sculpture is entirely composed of screwed bars together which forms both construction and finish. This construction method creates a great freedom of form. A large part of the object hangs with these bars on the roof floor so that support becomes superfluous.

Click above for larger image

Colour use
In the house, five colours are used: black, white and three greyscales. An existing side wall is totally painted white. The traces of construction, including the old railings and pipes are all painted white. The other building wall is left untreated. The different faces of the object are painted in three greyscales. These shades are aligned to the space they enclose. By this method, the space between the object and the existing box are strengthened.

Rotterdam South accommodates with this new metier house a black pearl…

Date preliminary design: January 2008
Start construction activity: December 2008
Acceptance: September 2010
Floor area: 170 m2

Architect
Design facade: Studio Rolf.fr i.p.w. Zecc architecten
Design interior: Studio Rolf.fr
Project architects: Rolf (Studio Rolf.fr), Yffi van den Berg & Marnix van der Meer