Villa SR

This particular singlefamily house design shows how, by looking beyond the initial building costs, and including maintenance, energy consumption and long term spatial value in the scope of a project, quality of living, longterm durability and economic constraints can be united. A valuable design methodology for architects to incorporate sustainability in their designs. Combining the efforts of both designers, manufacturers and clients in a compact setup, guided by an investigating attitude, this almost energy neutral Villa has become an extraordinary example project, while remaining affordable. When older houses are preserved, it is often because of their recyclability. They have high ceilings, daylight, large rooms and wide doors. But there is one more important reason why we do not demolish them. We love them, because their architecture is good and because they are made of beautiful materials. Preserve your house, or make a new one with a high long term value, and you make your house more environmentally friendly. The clients, a married couple in their fifties whose children have left home, felt initially that their Villa on the newly acquired dream site in Rijssen should be 350 m2. Nevertheless, after the initial design brainstorm, their first decision was to halve the desired size of the house. With a compact setup, priority could be given to good materials and energysaving solutions over the number of square metres. Designed to face its beautiful view, Villa SR simply and naturally captures the landscape as a large picture frame. It does so, not only for its residents, but also for passersby, connecting the surrounding landscape with the neighborhood. The overhang provides a shaded summer terrace over the full width of the house. A second terrace in the patio behind the brick façade is ideal for breakfast in the morning hours. The lee of the carport forms an ideal additional evening patio. A sliding door makes it possible to close the space off from the streets, while providing shelter from the wind. By involving the constructionengineer already on a very early stage, the design team managed to guarantee maximum transparency towards the landscape. Solely three 100 mm walls and three 60 mm diameter chrome columns support the concrete roof. Offering an open floor plan, wide doors, and maximum daylight the buildings flexibility is optimized. Asking the bricksupplier to add yellow clay and to fire the bricks very close to the fire, we were able to create a richness of colors and occasional glazed effects, offering a new interpretation of a local product. Encouraged by the design, father and son & both experienced carpenters & built the villa themselves. Personally involved they were committed to very accurate execution while inspiring the collaborators to improve their performance further. Energetically, by combining the compact setup with high quality thermal insulation, including a green roof, a heat pump, a low temperature floor heating system, a cooling ceiling and solar panels, energy consumption is minimized. At the same time, opting for welldesigned solutions made a design optimization possible to such extent that hardly any waste was produced during the construction process. Socioculturally, the Villa's connection with the landscape, both in organization as in materialization, has already proven to play an exemplary role for similar locations. Offering a view on the landscape, the form of the Villa adds quality to the public space of its surrounding neighborhood. Cooperatively designed and built by the clients, their intensified engagement ensured that the details became highquality and were built very precisely. Economically, the project's longterm costscope design strategy, leads Villa SR to be an inspiring example of sustainable architecture, also in terms of feasibility. Site: 870m2, House: 160m2