Back to Basics House / Engel Architecten

Back to Basics House / Engel Architecten

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Text description provided by the architects. Clients from the small city Nigtevecht, relatively close to Amsterdam, had the wish to build a characteristic house at a unique location, the historic village center of the town. The village, situated along the river the Vecht, consists of a listed historic center and several planned expansions.⁠

‘De Dorpstraat’, where the house is located, is part of the protected village center.⁠ This part of the village is known for its deep front gardens and relatively small-scale two-story houses with a sloped roofs. Each house in the street has its own individual character, allowing for a contemporary interpretation among the rather classical buildings in the streetscape. 

⁠The house gets its contemporary appearance by incorporating architectural accents from the surrounding buildings into the design, but with a modern twist. Special attention has been paid to the brickwork in various (masonry) bonds, for instance, the upright standing bricks in the plinth, the soldier courses above the window frames, and the recessed entrance.⁠ By recessing the window frames behind the brickwork, the monolithic character of the house is emphasized, while the overall shape of the house gives it an inviting and friendly appearance.

The red-brown color of the masonry is tailored to both the wishes of the clients like the neighboring buildings so that the house, despite its modern appearance, blends seamlessly into its surroundings.⁠ The flat roof tiles are fitted with integrated solar panels in nearly the same color as the roof tiles themselves, making them difficult to spot. Because the solar panels are recessed, the sleek shape of the roof is not affected.

The cladding of the annex consists of thermally modified, horizontally placed wooden cladding which accentuates the warm appearance of the house. The natural aging of the wood of the annex will turn grey over time and is perfectly in line with the applied color scheme of the rest of the house.