Private housing |The Netherlands
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Project: Private housing, Maassluis // The Netherlands
Architect: Jury, Rotterdam // The Netherlands
Installer: Erwig dak – en gevelmontage B.V., Leidschendam // The Netherlands
Façade system: Tray panels on bolts
Year of construction: 2023
Product: ALUCOBOND® anodized look C32
Photos: Aiste Rakauskaite Photography
Simple design, complex reasoning
Each storey in this detached house in Maassluis is part of a collage. The most beautiful option has been selected for each level, starting with the timber-clad ground floor which, like a bungalow, has large windows providing smooth transitions between the house interior and the external natural world. Above this, the sophisticated first floor is covered in a sand coloured rendering with cornices and vertical windows surrounded by delicate frames. Finally, set on top, the lustrous champagne mansard roof with a dormer window right in the middle looks as though someone has captured the essence of Paris in a child's drawing. It is amazing that this variety melds not only into a coherent design but also forms a clear, simple, well-designed volume. This is mainly thanks to the carefully planned details which the architects use to create a relationship between the storeys and to achieve subtle associations. At the same time, these details are always minimalist and contemporary. Appearances, however, are deceptive: For example, one surprise is the construction of the house using wood and heavy-duty cross-laminated timber panels. Not only are these particularly sustainable, reasonably priced and durable, they also create a cosy atmosphere with their warm, rugged surface. The ground floor façades and the stone-look window surrounds on the upper floor are also made of wood. The cornices, which were actually made of stone or wood in the past, are nothing more than two delicate plaster edges which reiterate the horizontal lines found in the different building tiers and the façade profiles. The construction method, form and façade design are the result of contemporary requirements regarding energy, material and space efficiency. Building orientation, room layout, amount of glazing and the compact form of the volume keep energy consumption to a minimum, ensuring that ample energy is provided by a geothermal heat pump. The mansard roof makes maximum use of the roof space, and the house’s ridge height and number of storeys still fit in with the neighbouring area. The roof seems to hover and although it initially appears to be clad in metal; what you actually see are anodised look C32 ALUCOBOND® panels. Weather-resistant ALUCOBOND® panels increase the roof’s longevity, reduce maintenance and minimise the installation height while still allowing for thick insulation. The champagne-coloured surface complements tastefully the window profiles in the same colour and the warm tones in the rendering and wood surfaces. The uniform colour scheme, understated details and symmetrical façades successfully unify different elements within a shared contour. It was, however, not merely an impulse or whim which succeeded in creating this associative collage and its streamlined contour; it is the outcome of lengthy deliberations on technical, structural, spatial and energy-use issues.