House with Four Roofs

Netherlands

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House with Four Roofs

Netherlands

Firm

Denkkamer Architectuur & Onderzoek

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2021

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

'House with four roofs' is a new residential house on the former site of a car company in the countryside of the North Brabant village Boekel. The plot is situated in a unique location in the middle of structures of an old medieval agricultural area. The plot is enclosed by a small-scale forest on side and, on the other side, it has a view towards the vast landscape of the Peel. The house expresses, in a new way, constructing and living in the rural area of the Brabant Peel municipalities.
In an area with many large agricultural buildings, a small-scale configuration has been chosen as the mass of the house by joining four smaller archetypal volumes. By placing these volumes against each other in a cross shape, a central space is created with four wings, each with its own roof. Each wing has its own function and quality in relation to the surrounding countryside.
In the heart of the house, the intersection is the central room with a dining table and multimedia corner. This space is the entry point through which all areas of the house are accessed. It is impossible to enter or leave the house without passing through this central space. On the west side of the intersection there are the two wings with a sitting room and kitchen. Together, these wings enclose the outdoor terrace towards the garden facing the evening sun. From the inside, the wings are characterized by openness and transparency toward the garden. Voids, both inside and outside, provide a view toward the crowns of the trees. The entrance wing contains facilities such as a toilet and carport as well as a staircase to the leisure room that is located under the roof structure of this wing. The triangular façade opening offers a view of the backdrop of the wide landscape at the front. The final wing, on the east side, sheltered and with morning sun, contains the bathroom, laundry room, and all bedrooms.
The abstraction in the detailing and the expressive façade openings gives the house a monolithic appearance and reinforces the archetype shape. This makes the individual volumes readable from the outside. The plinth, roof edge, and upper floor are framed by upright masonry. This creates a framework within closed masonry surfaces alternated with large façade openings that act as geometric canvases on the landscape. In terms of size and scale, the slim aluminum frames fully serve the carefully detailed masonry. The choice of a coal-sintered extruded brick, brings together the two characteristics of abstraction and craft in detail.

Photos by: Bas Gijselhart