Located on Centrumeiland in Amsterdam, Light House by Studioninedots reimagines the home as a vertical landscape of light and air. For a couple with two children, the project was shaped by a brief that gave the studio an almost complete carte blanche in how the house was conceived: “design a home defined by connection — between themselves and their children, while also interacting with the surrounding environment.”
Centrumeiland, a newly developed neighbourhood with strong sustainability ambitions, is shaped by a self-build culture that encourages individual expression and experimentation. Within this context, Light House takes the form of a composition of stacked boxes, creating a dwelling shaped by light, movement, and use.
A house of stacked boxes
Rather than concentrating daily functions on a single level, the house distributes key activities — eating, gathering, and relaxation — across a series of distinct “boxes”. These volumes are arranged throughout the building envelope in a composition that is playful yet carefully structured.
The resulting spatial organisation allows the boxes to be inhabited not only internally, but also above and below. As movement unfolds through the house, conventional distinctions between “above” and “below” begin to shift.
Spatial experience and connection
“Moving through the space that naturally opens among the boxes, you’ll find intimate nooks fit for relaxation or work — or dramatic voids that trigger interaction and create a stronger sense of the surroundings. This interplay of open and enclosed space inspires new, unexpected ways of use and connection,” says Metin van Zijl, Partner at Studioninedots.
The arrangement of volumes creates a sequence of varied spatial conditions, where enclosed rooms and open voids are interwoven. This balance supports both moments of retreat and opportunities for interaction, reinforcing the project’s underlying emphasis on connection.
Adaptability and daily life
The layout is designed to evolve with the family over time. By distributing functions across multiple levels and volumes, the house allows for reinterpretation as needs change.
Above the kitchen — described as the beating heart of Light House — a more enclosed volume provides a quieter retreat for reading, yoga, or rest. At the top of the house, a large, open space serves as a family gathering room, with ceiling-height arched windows on either side. These openings extend the space outwards onto a terrace overlooking the IJmeer lake.
Facade, light, and privacy
The lower half of the house sits behind a wall of square glass blocks, which filter daylight deep into the interior while distorting views. This allows activity within the house to be perceived from the street in an abstract way, maintaining a sense of privacy and enclosure.
“Light House blurs your sense of the above and below, the inside and outside, the open and closed, to create a house that inspires different spatial experiences and ways of interaction,” says Wouter Hermanns, Partner at Studioninedots.
This square rhythm continues in the steel grating elements along the rear facade, establishing a consistent visual language across the building. A restrained palette of industrial materials in shades of grey — raw, reflective, and translucent — introduces variation in texture as light shifts throughout the day.
Structure, material, and systems
Light House is conceived as a lightweight structural system, comprising a steel frame infilled with prefabricated timber elements. This modular approach supports flexibility and ease of disassembly over time.
Operational energy demand is largely met through renewable sources, supported by a heat pump, photovoltaic panels, and a balanced ventilation system with heat recovery, with no reliance on gas.
In line with the broader ambitions of Centrumeiland, the project incorporates on-site water management, contributing to the neighbourhood’s sustainability framework.
