In the outskirts of Heelweg, The Netherlands, stands this spacious country house that focuses on the beautiful view all around. Because of the placement in the middle of the large terrain, which is laid out as a private park between the surrounding meadows, we have created a design that focuses on this view on all sides.
Characteristic of the building shape is the surrounding horizontal roof-line that alternates between a sun-protective edge and an awning under which you can enjoy the outdoor space in a sheltered manner. This element gives the design its powerful horizontal lines. The edge is covered with stone strips cut from the same bricks used for the normal facade. This gives the edge a monolithic and calm character.
Below the continuous edge, floor-to-ceiling glass fronts have been installed to make the barrier between inside and outside as small as possible. The surrounding garden can be reached through sliding doors all around the house. Sightlines that are made as long as possible in the interior are not obstructed by closed outer walls but are extended to the surrounding countryside by efficient placement of the outer wall frames.
A large part of the mansion is equipped with a basement. The basement receives daylight through a pleated ground level. This pleated ground level also ensures that the basement is accessible from the outside.
The roof, lifted slightly above the horizontal edge, folds over the underlying program like an origami work of art, with the end walls facing all directions and providing access to the roof terraces. To emphasize the simplicity of the folded roof form, the materials and details have been designed as quietly as possible. The gutters are integrated into the roof shape and the roof is covered with anthracite-colored ceramic slate tiles.
The interior is characterized by the connection of the various spaces. This can be seen in the sightlines that have been created but also in the voids that connect the vertical spaces in a few places. In this way the full extent of the house can be experienced without compromising the security. Also inside, a quiet and timeless color scheme was chosen that serves the overall concept. A special element in this is the acoustic wooden ceiling of the folded roof construction. Because of the open connections this element helps to improve the acoustics so that it strengthens the sense of security.
The entire house is inside and outside with a sophisticated lighting plan where modest spotlights provide accent lighting and decorative fixtures provide an atmospheric decoration of the interior. Functionality goes hand in hand with atmosphere, partly due to the intelligent control of the home automation system. The house is equipped with a KNX home automation system that ensures integration of all installation components. In this way the energy consumption is optimized. The generation of energy is done partly by the nature-friendly pallet stove and partly by the 135 solar panels placed in a separate part of the plot. The house is not connected to any utilities for its energy needs
