Amsterdam architects O+A have completed an extension to a villa near Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
The upper story houses a glazed conference room, with a wood-clad garage below.
Photographs are by O+A.
Here’s some more information from O+A:
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O+A was commissioned by a private client to design the addition to a detached villa.
The project brief entailed the design of a carport for two cars and a conference space.
The villa, designed and built in the 1970s, has an extroverted addition which was completed in the 1990s.
In avoiding a cacophony of material and form, the villa was taken as a starting point for this latest addition.
The particular shape of the roof is a result of bureaucratic zoning law limitations, technical limitations in constructing a foundation next to the existing house, and demands in terms of use.
The architectural ambition is especially evident beneath this roof, where the functions ‘conferencing’ and ‘parking’ form two intersecting L-shaped volumes.
The climatised conference space is enclosed with minimally detailed, structural glazing.
The carport is not climatised and is enclosed with timber boards, which seamlessly continue into the ceiling- and wall finishing.
Beneath the roof, an interesting dialogue arises between material and space.
The project was completed in July 2009.
An aspect that sets this commission apart is that O+A has assumed the roles of both chief contractor and glass engineer.
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Posted by Jonny Jones
August 28th, 2009 at 11:02 am
…ahem…overkill…
August 28th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
anything with wood gives distinctive character to the place….
reminds me of Gehry’s serpentine gallery last year.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
bulky
August 28th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Wood .. very warm material to work with ..
i like it ..
August 28th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I really don’t like the roofmaterial and the colums…
The projects looks a bit disturbing in total.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
well put trent.
August 28th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
While I really dislike the glazing details, the overall space is great. This is a really bold addition that does not compete with the villa, yet tells the local planning office to go screw themselves. I am always a fan of designing around ordinances and zoning laws. Great work guys!
You can see by using the wood like that, it is technically not an insulated space, but the bulk of the “structural” wood members act as insulation. Enacting the bulk was needed to create a stiffer frame so the entire wooden addition could be set on pin-connected columns to avoid a new foundation. There are no interior finishes, and it seems to extend up from the carport. This is an uninsulated, unfinished, carport without the need for new footings or foundation. Can’t anyone else see the brilliance in that?
Don’t compare this to Gehry’s gallery, that was steal clad in wood. That office couldn’t design a sophisticated structure if their lives depended on it.
August 28th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
would be nice to see what the original building looks like and how the addition works as a whole.
August 28th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Wonderful design.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
The angles are really nice.
August 29th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I really enjoy the uncompromised visual statement this addition makes.
The geometry is bold, with a floor plan that is straight forward enough to seem simple, but the angled column lines and roof lend so much to make the form wonderfully dynamic.
It’s just complex enough to warrant interest, but avoid a cluttered look. And who wouldn’t want to play with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof? It was a solution to work around a wonky ordinance at that!
It’s also detailed so well that the lines and joinery look continuous, clean and effortless. Very few pull that stunt off well.
While the parallel wood slats can seem a bit overpowering, maybe even a bit wasteful, there is a lot of payoff in the conference space with a look like a high end recording studio or performance hall.
I also like that the roof material matches the main structure – it’s just enough to visually link the two parts.
Two thumbs up, and a loads of jealousy since I haven’t had a commission yet that allowed this kind of creative freedom.
August 29th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Best project in years!
Reminds me of a giraffe, drinking water.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:08 am
really nice, but dusting this place must be a pain in the a*$
October 13th, 2009 at 11:22 am
It looks a bit heavy, bulky and not so inviting to me. Would this have been better (and more pleasant to experience) if it would have been white perhaps?