How do you make something striking that doesn’t stick out?
Schiermonnikoog
Manatee
After an existing holiday home on Schiermonnikoog was destroyed by fire, the owner wanted to have a new, bigger house built on the same location.
The building rules on the island are strongly geared to preserving the quality of the existing landscape. There are – justifiably – strict restrictions with regard to height and surface. The design therefore looked for ways to keep the volume of the replacement new building modest.
The house plays with the height differences in the landscape. By locating the bedroom floor underground, the volume remains modest. Skylights and large window openings ensure sufficient light and a strong relationship with the landscape. By interpreting the roof shapes of the surroundings, instead of copying them, a shape is created that connects with them and yet is unique.
The living space is much larger than it initially appears
foto Harry Cock
The two floors are connected by a void. This results in a layout that feels cosy with just the two of you and in larger groups creates places where you can withdraw.
Basement
Ground floor
Holiday Home Between Dunes and Beach
The building regulations on Schiermonnikoog are strongly aimed at preserving the quality of the existing landscape. At the same time, the island tries to distinguish itself by also being inclusive for the upper market segment. The increasing demand for luxury in terms of facilities and size is sometimes at odds with the possibilities of the building envelope.
The ‘holiday home between dune and beach’ was designed within this context. It is a modest volume with an open relationship to the environment, a lot of comfort and a high degree of privacy. Because the house is partly underground, the living area is much larger than it initially appears. The layout ensures that there are enough places to withdraw in a large group, but that the holiday home also feels cosy with just the two of you.
The façade of finely sawn and dried oak wood in the open air gives the house its special character. It will only become more beautiful with weathering. The green roof completes the camouflage of the house in the landscape.
data
- Location
- Schiermonnikoog, NL
- Size
- 222 m²
- Client
- particulier
- Discipline
- Architecture
- Program
- Residential
- Period
- 2020
- Status
- Completed
- Photography
- Harry Cock
- themes
