Are you inside or are you outside? In this villa it’s always the question

Across the country, threshing machines sway and cranes sway in the air. Because you have to build it. What are the architectural masterpieces? loyalty chooses from the buildings that have a chance to win the title of “Best Building of the Year”. Episode 5, the last: Villa Fifty-Fifty in Eindhoven.

In a neighborhood next to De Wielewaal, the estate on the outskirts of Eindhoven where the Philips family once lived, people can build a villa to their liking. Most of the houses are snow white, two or three stories high, with a small front yard and a spacious back yard.

Between the two, the Villa Fifty-Fifty is an outsider. It is a low-rise pavilion-shaped building with a matt silver tower in the middle. And it doesn’t have a clearly demarcated garden, but a courtyard, where a tree fortunately grows through a round opening in the roof.

“It wasn’t about where the car should be”

Lily Jong sits in her office and raises her hand. She goes out and opens the way to a space on the other side of the patio – a sort of veranda connecting the living room and the kitchen. There are large terracotta pots with lush plants. The large glass accordion door has been fully opened and there is plenty of light through the skylights. Where does the inside begin and where does the outside end? That’s exactly the question that isn’t answered in this house – it’s fifty-fifty.

“In the first conversation with our architect, Jurjen van der Horst from Studioninedots, we didn’t discuss the number of bedrooms, whether we wanted one or two bathrooms, where the car should be,” says Jong. “The question was, where are you in your life right now?

Young and her husband Felix Breukel wanted to spend more time with each other and their two teenage daughters, watch less TV, spend a lot of time outdoors, have less at home. They wanted a house where everyone has their place, but where we meet all the time. “We both work full time for a multinational, we really enjoy our work. But then you really want to spend the free time together. A week goes by in a flash.

A village of small houses

This house is almost a reaction to their previous house. “It was a 240 square meter loft in the center of Eindhoven, with no balcony or garden,” Jong explains. “At that point, when I got home, I wanted to be a bit celebrated, like being in a club or a restaurant. I was pregnant and we knew we would go out less and come home more. The house therefore had to give an impression of nightlife. “It was a statement: look how beautiful it is. People entering were quite intimidated, because it was a window.

The new house is different in every way, although it also impresses; especially on a sunny summer day. Van der Horst and the Studioninedots team imagined a particular form: the plot was divided into squares, like a checkerboard. Each square has been assigned a space with a specific function, sometimes inside, sometimes outside. The kitchen, the terrace, the bedroom, a bed with plants, a bathroom, a storage room. “It is a village of small housesYoung says. “Each space has its own character.

The middle tower, clad in polished aluminum, is the domain of the girls. “It contains their bedrooms, their own bathroom and even a pantry. It is designed as a stand-alone unit. With my friends, I have seen that the children stay at home longer. It’s quite difficult if they have to sit in the attic. We also want them to stay with us for a long time – well, not until their forties – and it’s good if you can give them a good home and help them a little. ”

It’s also a form of sustainability, she believes. “This house will suit us for a very long time. If we subsequently have difficulty walking, the most important areas will remain easily accessible. It is future proof. The villa also meets sustainability requirements in other respects. The whole district is heated with geothermal energy. Jong and Breukel installed solar panels on the flat roof. “And next year we hope to participate in a trial at Eindhoven University of Technology: a home battery to store all solar energy. ”

Not a diorama, but a mirror

She really likes the indoor-outdoor house. Not only in summer, they also lived there when the patio was covered with a thick layer of snow earlier this year. “At the time, I still walked outside to my office, often barefoot. It has become my way of walking, the garden is really part of the house.

“An elephant path”, laughs architect Van der Horst. He was satisfied with the open attitude of his customers. In this way, he was able to build an unconventional house. “Unlike most of the neighbors, the family is often seated in front of the house, on the street side. This is the best place, you have the evening sun and a view of the greenery of the De Wielewaal estate. An outdoor fireplace has been installed to make the place even more attractive.

Residents are not concerned that the house has a lot of insight. Plus, a smart lighting plan ensured that you didn’t see them walking around the house in their pajamas at night. Van der Horst: “The glass is reflected on the side where the most light falls. By installing outdoor lighting in the green strip around the house, a passer-by can be seen in the windows, and not the inhabitants. Not a diorama, but a mirror.

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