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On a spacious, wooded lot in Veldhoven stood a dated and dark residence. The clients bought the property with the desire to replace the existing house with a spacious, bright and sunny bungalow. Their living program was so extensive that the building should be realized in two layers. Because the zoning plan specified a maximum building height of 4 meters, the bungalow was completely undercrofted.
Inspired by the architecture of the “case-study houses,” a galvanized steel skeleton was designed as the iconic support of the plan. The various facade parts of glass, stucco and masonry as well as the floor and roof are placed in this skeleton, to visually connect the amorphous volume. As a result, the steel structure is also applied as floor edge, roof edge and façade edge. In addition, a covered terrace/pergola was created with the steel structure.
In this design, the architects chose hot-dip galvanized steel because it is a natural and durable material with a warm, industrial look. The galvanized steel is maintenance-free and will weather slightly over the next few years, thus blending in more and more beautifully with the nature on the wooded lot. The galvanized steel frames form frames, both of the house but also of the view of the surrounding nature. The steel is double-dip galvanized in connection with the long length dimensions.
The shape of the building is partly determined by the amorphous building plane, sunlight and the prevention of noise pollution from the nearby highway as much as possible. The north side of the building is kept closed while the south and west sides are open. The parts of the site that were not allowed to be built on due to natural values have been visually drawn to the building by the galvanized steel frames that here and there float above the unbuilt grounds. By working with undulations in the site, daylight has been brought into the basement and the living spaces are still directly adjacent to the garden.
