This narrow 18th century house in the south west of the Netherlands had been in decay since the 70’s when it lost its historical exterior and had lain empty for several years. Essentially reduced to just a 3- meter wide shell by the time the owner purchased it, the property, like similar houses in the area, presented a number of challenges to overcome before it could become a modern and workable home – long dark corridors, poor privacy caused by the ground floor windows facing the street, and critically a lamentable lack of daylight throughout the house. Dutch architect Tim de Graag recently finished the transformation of this residence.

The dynamic concept for creating a spacious, light and calm interior in what became known as House 20×3 required a fundamental re-shaping of the property’s floor plan and the introduction of a central axis to maximise the amount of natural daylight. The resulting 4 floors, connected by an elegant oak T- shaped staircase, provide modern yet relaxed studio living. The living room was moved to the first floor in order to benefit from the vista over the historical harbor and the bijou kitchen moved to the lowest floor, where a glass door provided much needed light as well as access to the small garden. The master and guest bedrooms are located above the kitchen.

It is the sightline at the heart of the property that is pivotal to the harmonious interaction of the various rooms of the house, and most importantly for bringing light into them. This sightline improves the relationship with the surrounding as well as the interaction of spaces within the building, without compromising on privacy. A fixed rooflight and a hinged rooflight were both precision engineered to bespoke sizes for House 20×3; these were strategically placed above the sightline. The roof lights also offered additional benefits – it minimises the impact from the heat of the summer, and provides much needed ventilation in this split-level house.

The comprehensive renovation of this 3-metre wide house in Zierikzee won over the jury of the Dutch Daylight Award 2016 who appreciated the clever routing, the sightline all the way through the building and the position, size and proportion of the rooflights.

Material Used :
1. Roof Windows: Glazing Vision (‘Flushglaze fixed’ & ‘Visionvent’)
2. Steel doors: A. Hoogendoorn
3. Oak floors: Esco vloeren
4. Oak staircase: Van der Schoot trappen B.V.
5. Bespoke oak furniture: Casper Rutges
6. Kitchen: Van Diessen Keukens B.V.

From the jury report: “The large skylight is placed right against the top of the house so that direct sunlight from the south has no chance to warm up the house. The positioning and detailing of the skylights is designed to create a captivating play of direct and indirect daylight in the center of the house. This play is complemented by a carefully designed lighting plan in which ambient and functional lighting is consistently implemented throughout the house.”

Line of sight through the center of the home

Central to the plan is a perfectly straight line of sight of twenty meters through the center of the house. This line of sight strengthens the relationship with both the surroundings and the functions within the building. The line of sight already reveals itself from the spacious entrance hall equipped with double steel doors. From here one reaches the study located on the first floor with generous multifunctional corridor area. The rooflight ensures that daylight remains in the view line.

Daylight and ventilation

To achieve a spacious, light and calm plan, the design program was carefully matched to the possibilities for daylight access, ventilation, insulation concept, budget and spatial quality. The result is a surprisingly spacious house in which both horizontal and vertical contact is possible and privacy is guaranteed. Moreover, the play of light and shadow produces an almost serene tranquility that contributes to the users’ enjoyment of living.