The photo displayed above is the North-East perspective elevation of VIlla Kogelhof, a bold, modernist design approach adopted by Paul de Ruiter Architects, a dutch architectural practice with it's head office in Amsterdam. The superstructure showcases the exceptional dexterity of Dutch high-tech craftsmanship.
In a gravity-defying act of daredevil modernism, the building seemingly floats above the surroundings. It was named after the former 60-acre Kogelhof farm, located in the Dutch Province of Zeeland. In its uncompromising radicalism, this clear, linear house would stand out anywhere, but, among the brick houses and tarred barns dotting this rural part of the Netherlands, it is truly an anomaly. The client, Ton Zwijnenburg, an international potato and onion trader, purchased the land from a local farmer under the auspices of a national restructuring initiative called “red for green” developed for agricultural areas in decline. Through this program, the Dutch government grants one building permit for each 10 acres of land, on the condition that the buyer transform the remaining property into a public nature preserve.
The project's agenda was as ambitious as the concept is simple. Zwijnenburg wanted the house to be a clean, transparent abstract form with no distracting elements, such as windows, on the skin. The architect, Paul de Ruiter, was intent on making the glass box energy neutral. They both managed to get their way in a feat of engineering that, says de Ruiter, “took an hour to think up and six years to execute.”
The 7,700-square-foot house consists of two perpendicular volumes connected by a concrete core with a glazed entrance at grade. One is tucked beneath a 2-foot-deep reflecting pool and houses an office, storage, full bath, and a garage for Zwijnenburg's tractor and four cars. The small water feature, positioned to overlook the larger Z-shaped pond, was added to enhance views from the house as well as to conceal the home's plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The upper volume, a glazed Vierendeel truss structure, hovers above the ground and accommodates the primary living, dining, and sleeping spaces. The improbable cantilever created by the structural arrangement is buttressed by a V-shaped steel support located 82 feet from the core.
De Ruiter applied a similar sweeping approach to the interior of this home for a family of four that includes two teenagers, and it is every bit as cool and collected (that is, maniacally tidy) inside as it is outside. By his own admission, Zwijnenburg is neurotic about cleaning up and organizing. “Even my cars are organized by size and color,” he says. Interestingly, he selected de Ruiter for the project on the basis of an underground parking garage the architect had designed in Rotterdam. “I've always been fascinated by functional, minimalist architecture, especially in America,” Zwijnenburg says. “I like big open spaces with no clutter.”
The aesthetic does not compromise the architect's goal to build a net zero–ready house, however. To that end de Ruiter is employing both active and passive means. The facade is made of dual-glazed low-iron, low-E glass insulated with Argon gas. The 11-foot-tall glass panels, fastened with U-shaped clips to a steel frame on the building's exterior, slip past the 9-foot-high curtain-wall opening and seem to disappear beyond the floor and ceiling edges, erasing the line between indoors and out, like an infinity pool. Sunshades, seven inches behind the glazing, provide an additional air barrier, aided by a dedicated ventilation system that draws solar heat buildup outside. Meanwhile, a heat pump maintains comfortable temperatures throughout the year, and will get a boost during winter months from a soon-to-be-installed freestanding stove fueled by wood pellets—to be produced from the trees on the property (when they mature).
A work in progress, Villa Kogelhof is not yet producing as much energy as it consumes. Photovoltaic panels on the roof currently meet some of its demands. But the house won't be fully net zero until these are supplemented by the installation of a wind turbine, planned for the near future.
Such apparent independence can be deceiving. Surrounded by a surreal landscape that is at once wild and calculated, private and public, Zwijnenburg muses that there are times at the Villa Kogelhof when, “One is able to cherish the illusion that you are the only person in the world.”
From this side of the continent, I boldly affirm a supersized applause to Paul de Ruiter Architects. They have successful carved a niche for themselves on the global architecture front, and Architects across the globe are looking to see more heart-stopping architectural designs come to life from your practice.
Project Completion Date: January 2013
Size: 7,700 square feet
Cost: $3.5 million
Architect: Paul de Ruiter Architects
Photo credits: www.archrecord.construction.com
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