DF_DC

Description

This single-family house for a young couple and their two daughters is the result of our research into the possibilities of contemporary living in a quiet suburb. The local planning guidelines allowed us to build ancillary volumes all the way to the boundary. This made it possible to avoid a typical suburban typology: a volume surrounded by residual greenery that cannot really be used. As a result, the L-shaped house extends completely along the site boundary on two sides with a larger garden to the rear. The garden becomes the point of reference to the ground floor areas thanks to continuous glazing, which is made possible by the load-bearing wall that tapers above it. From the outside, the house presents itself as a hermetic, introverted volume, while inside an unexpectedly strong connection to the garden is revealed. At this point, the double volumes created by the roof and the elliptical concrete staircase acts as a counterpoint to the wide openings to the garden. The upper floor has a reduced surface area as a result of the pitched roofs and accommodates the bedrooms. Their privacy is maintained thanks to the sloped roofs, which have openings. Throughout the project, concrete is used in different instances both as structure and finished surface. The massing and material concept required for even the garden gate to be built in concrete, in keeping with the external wall.