Bakkum is a small village close to the coast just north of Amsterdam. At the edge of a large natural reserve and in between the trees Villa Bakkum was built. Villa Bakkum a minimalistic house with 3 wings that emerge in the surrounding nature.

Chalets

In 2010 the municipality decided to redevelop the former site of a psychiatric hospital into an area with housing designed in chalet style. Villa Bakkum is part of this development. The facades on the forest side were therefor designed in bamboo wood. On the other facades brick was applied in an extremely strong horizontal relief. This gives the building a strong texture and a highly tactile effect.   

Three wings

The plan of the villa has three wings with the entrance and staircase in the central triangular space. Each wing has its own use; a living wing, a wing with an office space and a wing with the kitchen, dining room and garage. This setup pulls the exterior space in; from the living space one can perceive the office space via the garden.

Minimalistic

The interior is clean and minimal. Doors don’t have thresholds and walls don't have plinths. The window frames are largely invisible. The staircase seamlessly connects to the wall and floor. When opened even the sliding doors hidden in between the walls. The wooden roof construction is visible in the bedrooms.

Light

The roof window in the central hallway and the large windows facing the forest create allow plenty of daylight to enter the villa. The fluid interconnection of spaces creates an open and spacious atmosphere. The surrounding nature is present from every space in the villa.