Villa Freney by 70F Architecture in Leerdam, Netherlands

Project: Villa Freney Architects: 70F Architecture Location: Leerdam, Netherlands Photography: Luk Kramers

Villa Freney by 70F Architecture

Villa Freney is an excellent project completed by the architectural studio 70F Architecture in the Dutch city of Leerdam. This compact modern house maximizes the use of available sunlight through abundant glazing, which also provides beautiful views of the surroundings.

The order (March 2008) included a standalone house with annexes on a plot in the park of villas 'de Noordzoom' in Leerdam, at the foot of the Enkhuyzen-Leerdam dike. The family wanted, like many others, light, air and space.

The house is a single-story bungalow, while the site required a response to "life by the water." This is achieved through a veranda along the entire length of the building (on the south side), in the most important rooms of the house; from the bedroom, to the wardrobe, to the master bathroom, hobby room, kitchen and finally the dining room and around the corner - the living room. Along this line, there is a transition from water to veranda, then to a fully glazed facade with doors behind which all the mentioned areas are located.

To diversify the flat polder landscape, the roof of the living room/dining room is slightly sloped. On the opposite side of the house (on the north), children's rooms with a bathroom, service room and living room are located. The existing artificial 'hills' on the site were emphasized, and the garage with storage is partially buried in one of them.

The sauna with a garden shed is located on another hill and is the highest of the three buildings. From the sauna, a view opens onto a waterfall from a cor-tene that flows across the open terrace at the front of the house and descends to a water structure flowing through the plot.

The spread of buildings creates a living area rather than just a house with annexes. Transparency and direction can be seen inside, providing the maximum experience of interaction between interior and exterior space, enhanced by the slopes of the site. The structural complexity of the T-shaped front wall with glazed corners leads to an amazing perception of interior and exterior space in the living room and dining room. The structural and architectural tension of this wall solution is felt almost everywhere inside and around the house.

–70F Architecture