Villa L, Netherlands | Powerhouse Company & RAU


Villa L, located in the woods near Utrecht, the Netherlands, is a recently completed home for a young family, with a minimal, yet luxurious design.

Photo © Christian van der Kooy
The three-level residence is the result of the collaboration of Powerhouse Company with RAU architects.

Discrete overhanging slabs and expansive use of glazed facades towards garden views define the building envelope, while the interiors feature white surfaces, sensational curves and the use of a minimal palette of materials, wood, stone and plaster.

Photos © Christian van der Kooy

Photo © Christian van der Kooy
Photo © Christian van der Kooy
Photo © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
 
Description by Powerhouse Company & RAU:

Designed to fulfil the desires and needs of a young family, Villa L is set in the woods of central Netherlands, fully oriented towards the sun and the views on the garden. Villa L is a spatially diverse residence where every floor has its own strong identity, creating a broad spatial spectrum within a unified whole.

A young family with three children asked Powerhouse Company and RAU to design a house that would fulfill their dreams: a paradox of a house that is simple yet surprising, open yet specific, minimal yet luxurious.

Powerhouse Company, responsible for the design, resolved these contradictions with a house based on a radical differentiation of spatial experiences on three floors (of which one is subterranean). RAU embedded the sustainable strategy for the villa in the design.

Family life
Three clear levels, with three very different characters and functionalities as a basis for family life to emerge.One level is for living, a generously open ground floor. A strip of serving rooms containing storage, toilets and stairs, provides easily access to the luxuriously open living spaces. The kitchen and living room are oriented maximally to the sun and view. In close relation to this living area there are two studies located on the north side next to the entrance.

Village of cabins


The collection of rooms on the first floor provides space for sleeping and privacy. Set in a delicate roof garden, all the bedrooms are autonomous volumes crafted in their entirety from dark wood. They work like a village of cabins, providing intimacy and privacy. Every room is like a world of its own with private views over the wooded landscape.

Wellness and retreat
The curved basement is for guests, wellness and storage. The excavations allow the pool and the guest rooms to have fully glazed facades and direct access to the garden.

Smart Sustainability


The house incorporates innovative sustainable measures including a hot and cold-water storage and extensive use of hidden PV cells. The basement contains a dedicated area for the high-end energy saving installations.

A house designed for the hectic life of an evolving family; fragmented yet united, plural yet whole.



Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy
Photos © Christian van der Kooy

Villa L was recently nominated for the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2013.

Underground Level © Courtesy of Powerhouse Company & RAU

Ground floor © Courtesy of Powerhouse Company & RAU

1st floor © Courtesy of Powerhouse Company & RAU

Source: Powerhouse Company | RAU | Christian van der Kooy