For a new part of Assen, a city in the north of the Netherlands, architecture firm Mannen in de ruimte has developed a house with a distinct roof. The clients asked for a house adapted for living at an advanced age that would fit their triangular shaped plot of land. They had realized that a traditional rectangular house would not work at this location. Nevertheless they did want a house the way a child draws a house: with brick walls and pitched roof.
First a single story volume was placed sideways on the plot, this created a clear distinction between front and backyard. Then a pitched roof was placed asymmetrically on the volume, this created a porch that prevents unwanted warming of the interior as a result of the summer sun. The garage is angled towards the road to create a more private front garden. Finally, to reduce volume and building cost, the roof above the garage is pushed down.
The result is a distinct home with a different presentation from any direction; modest but notable from the front, high and strong at the gable covered with vertical roof tiles, wide and sheltering from the back.
In the design traditional elements as the pitched roof, a brick facade and a porch are used to create a contemporary and surprising home. The project is an example of how to create challenging architecture with a modest budget, common building materials and traditional shapes.
