Holiday homes De Ville Buiten

Schiermonnikoog, NL

How do you create privacy in a collective?

Schiermonnikoog

De Ville Buiten

The Badweg connects the village of Oosterburen with the Noordzeestrand beach. Halfway between the Badweg and the dunes to the west, and next to the monumental Roman Catholic church, lies De Ville Buiten. While the zoning plan allowed for a large-scale building, respect for Schiermonnikoog’s characteristic landscape ensured that a small-scale design was chosen for the holiday homes here.

Small dunes creating privacy

Routes respecting privacy

Privacy between the villas

South orientation

The site

Long sightlines between the villas

Visual connections from the terraces

The experience of the unique landscape and the elements formed the starting point for the design, which entailed both the holiday homes and the surrounding outdoor space.

From the Badweg, the view of the dune area to the rear has been preserved. The houses are freely distributed in the dune landscape, in such a way that they each have their privacy. The use of natural materials and the large openings on the verandas enhance the scenic credentials of the houses.

Holiday homes De Ville Buiten

Sheltering on the Badweg, in Schiermonnikoog National Park, are 11 wooden holiday homes that together form Ville Buiten. These rugged houses crouch like hares against the dune. Due to their robust shape, the natural look of the wood and their modest arrangement in the surrounding landscape, the houses manifest as a unit and do not disturb the environment. They belong there.

The houses have no boundaries and are located at different heights in the dune landscape, which enhances the experience of the place. The layout of the landscape is determined by typical dune vegetation such as thorn bushes and ‘hard’ grasses. Privacy and shelter are obtained by planting trees and shrubs.

The houses are oriented to the south and benefit from the morning sun on their roof terraces and the setting sun on the verandas. A glass awning above the veranda makes it useful even in bad weather. By producing as many parts as possible as prefabricated elements on the mainland, the construction time has been minimised, as has the burden on the environment due to the transport of building materials.