ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Double dwelling Lookwatering in The Netherlands by DP6 architectuurstudioSeptember 2nd, 2011 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: DP6 architectuurstudio This project called for a semi-detached house, a double dwelling for two families. The double dwelling was designed, developed and realized by architect Robert Alewijnse and designed as a singular architectonic object, housing two completely different homes. The eastern home was specifically designed for the architect’s family and the western home was sold and adapted to the specific wishes of the new owners.
The houses and farms on Lookwatering Den Hoorn (ZH) overlook the Look waterway. This double dwelling is surrounded by vast greenhouses and barns, and is built on former horticultural grounds. Slowly but surely the greenhouses are being replaced, and the area is developing into a residential neighborhood known as Look-West Noord. An important and recurring theme for most of the new homes in this neighborhood is the presence of water. The double dwelling is located directly on the border of the old circuits and the new residential area, and will be surrounded by water on three sides. In the future, the lot will serve as a cap for the wider canal. The design makes a direct reference to the black wooden barns with their corrugated roofs common to the region. The northern façade addresses the road, is relatively closed and is finished in black wood. The south-eastern end faces the waterways and the gardens and is completely transparent. It is here that the barn is opened up, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside. The white stuccoed volumes and walls pierce through the glass and the wide veranda creates a proper exterior-interior transition. The architect’s home is a combination of open and closed zones. The closed front façade accommodates the closed areas such as storage and the entrance hall. The living room is an open space continuing into the kitchen, an island and the dining area. A sliding glass panel across the entire width of the home connects the living area to the veranda. The closed white volumes put up the various bedrooms and are silhouetted against the roof, allowing sunlight through in between. The study entresol is united to the bottom floor through a large void and the general openness of the entire home is in accordance with the requests of the whole family. In the name of sustainability, the dwellings are designed as energy passive homes. By designing the façades in keeping with the sun, the favorable morning sun is caught, and the veranda shades the spaces from harsh afternoon and evening sun. The roof and the walls are heavily insulated and the plumbing is equipped with heat recovery mechanisms. Adjectives describing the detailing should vary between robust, minimal and thoughtful. The façade is clad in weatherboarded pine painted black and smooth white stucco elements. The hidden window frames and corten steel doors are surprising but fitting choices. The trowel floor, the oak wall units, and the large Oregon pine cross-bar window create a calm and monastic environment. Wood was applied to many of the interior elements: cross-cut oak floors, birch window frames and sills, Finnish pine roofing, oak veneer wall units. The bathrooms were outfitted with slate floors and walls.
Contact DP6 Architectuurstudio
Tags: Den Hoorn, The Netherlands |