Daylight

The Community of Terra Linda in San Rafael chose HED to improve their 1961 campus. To begin, HED led a community master planning effort that creatively eliminated the need for temporary facilities. This allowed for a larger portion of the budget to be allocated to the reinvigoration of the campus, improved social spaces, and the construction of an entirely new academic core and innovation hub. The student commons is now the epicenter of an invigorating campus layout that centralizes the library, technology, media, music, drama, and food services. Alejandro Velarde This new configuration maximizes daylight within the facilities and creates an activated indoor/outdoor social hub for students and the community–creating a new beatin... More

Op een afgelegen kavel in een veengebied heeft Mirck Architecture een atelier ontworpen. De binnenruimte is heel licht, in tegenstelling tot de donkere verschijning in het landschap. Binnen is het hout blank, buiten is het hout vergrijsd en zwartgebrand. Katja Effting De entree is benadrukt door de enige afschuining van het zadeldak. Het dakschild op het zuidwesten bestaat volledig uit matzwarte PV-panelen. Het dakschild op het noordoosten bestaat uit matzwarte vlakke pannen en een groot daklicht. Katja Effting Katja Effting Het daklicht geeft de atelierruimte veel diffuus licht. Het komt tussen de spanten door de hoge werkruimte in. Voor het uitzicht is de zuidwestgevel volledig te openen. Als het atelier niet in gebruik i... More

  Dikes protect the Dutch country side from flooding. On top of a dike a little house was built in the 1950s. It fell into disrepair and was sold. The new owners asked Mirck Architecture to design a new dike house, using the beautiful views, daylight, and wood. Mirck proposes to open out the living space to the north, by cracking the dike house volume away from the dike, into the polder landscape. Katja Effting   The outer corner of the crack is fully glazed and brings in plenty of daylight into the large open space. The facades are also open to the best views in the north. The combination of the abundant natural light and the many views, creates a room-in-a-view: the sensation of being part of the landscape. Katja Efft... More

Near the South Holland dunes a special house has been realized, which consists of a visible structure of laminated wooden columns, beams and floors. This structure is filled in with an open or closed filling; open with sun and view oriented sliding doors, closed with vertical larch parts. The wooden construction is visible inside and out, so that the rhythm of the structure can be felt throughout the house. All this according to a size ratio that has been worked out in detail, so that special and warm spaces have been created for the clients both inside and outside. rené de wit The clients managed to buy a beautiful plot on a small lane near the dunes in Monster. Everything was still open, from the location of the house on the... More

KlokGroep has commissioned 78 spacious new-build apartments on an artificial mound in the green Dike Zone along the River Waal in Nijmegen. The spacious apartments, contained in three buildings, offer space and tranquillity close to the city and panoramic views of the river and the green landscape.    Situated on a mound The complex consists of three volumes that step up in height and increase in size, creating a sense of spaciousness and openness. Similarities in design and materials ensure that the three unite to form a close-knit ensemble. The biggest and tallest building consists of six floors and, in terms of height, appears grandly imposing beside an old orchard. The other two buildings, five and four floors in height, ar... More

The Bower Activities Center (BAC) introduces a light-filled hub of activity and care programs to the pastoral campus of Youth Villages in the city of Bartlett, an outlying suburb of Memphis, TN.  Youth Villages, “a nationally recognized leader in the field of childrens' mental and behavioral health,” provides residential, academic, and developmental services for children and teens with “emotional, mental, and behavioral problems.”  Initially designed to house only the Food With Class program –  an educational class where teens learn to develop teamwork and professional skills in a commercial kitchen setting – and a few other support services, the scope of the design quickly grew as Youth Vi... More

High windows reaching more than 2.5 metres allowed an architect to solve the problem arising from the building regulations. Moreover, extraordinary balcony windows have enriched the building with an abundance of natural light, a home-like atmosphere and the perspective of better contact with the surroundings.    Aesthetic and functional   The newly built multi-family building in downtown Richmond, Virginia presents a modern design. Finishing the walls and roof in one colour forms a coherent whole. Its shape matches perfectly with the surroundings, while a minimalist colouring gives the project a timeless character. The project also stands out with the application of innovative technological solutions. This includes FAKRO... More

The attic in private house from the ‘80’s gained modern look and extra space with an abundance of natural light thanks to the FAKRO EDT dormer. Nowadays, the inhabitants can enjoy a beautiful view of the polder of Amsterdam. The house is situated in a row of similar houses in the city of Zaandam (near Amsterdam). Beautiful view of Amsterdam ‘Last year we bought a house erected in the 80’s. We both love to do odd jobs and thought it was a good challenge to make this house more contemporary. When our son was born, we decided to make the attic a real ‘mom and dad’ paradise. The first thing we did, was replacing the old dormer with a modern one so we could finally enjoy the view of the polder of Amsterdam.'... More

Text by Anneke Koning-Corveleijn: Katja Effting   A country house that is not only situated on top of a dyke, but is an integral part of it; in a polder landscape with panoramic views of trees, straight ditches running through meadows and a nature reserve across the stream that flows alongside the house. Katja Effting   The house is sleek and contemporary, yet blending in with the landscape. Concrete lends substance to the house, glass gives it transparency and the red Corten-steel cladding – a particular wish of the client – adds colour and warmth. Katja Effting   Inside, panoramic window fronts, windows and sky lights in the open plan living area reveal spectacular views of water, sky, meado... More