A contemporary reinterpretation of a rural barn, this villa is carefully embedded in the polder landscape, where architecture, light, and landscape are closely intertwined.
This private villa is set within a flat polder landscape, punctuated only by the vertical presence of mature, tall trees. The wide plot is structured as a sequence of gardens—field, meadow, orchard, and hedgerow—each marking a subtle transition across the site. Beyond the trees, in a small meadow, an existing barn unfolds into a new dwelling. The villa takes the form of a continuous volume that meanders through the forest. Its roof is conceived by “unrolling” the barn’s original profile across the new house, creating a more intimate relationship with the inner garden.
Carefully framed sightlines through the forest reveal distant views of the dunes, accentuating the exceptional flatness of the polder landscape. The sun’s path and the inhabitants’ daily movement through the house are fundamental drivers of the design. A winter garden, capturing the morning light, is connected to the kitchen, while a veranda extends the living spaces for year-round use.
