Transformation with wow factor

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Design: summer 2020
Completed: 2021

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Built by Bouwbedrijf Verhoeven
Structural engineering by De Waag Constructeurs

The clients purchased a villa with an indoor swimming pool on a large plot surrounded by trees. The villa was still in its original 1970s condition with an original layout: smaller, separate compartments with divided functions.

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The wish was to transform the villa into a modern, comfortable and energy-efficient villa with wow factor. The layout also needed to be completely changed. New spaces had to be added and the floor plan redesigned into a modern, more spacious arrangement with interconnected rooms.

The floor plans were modified at various points to create the required spaces and to make maximum use of sightlines from within the home. Several rooms were merged and others newly created by extending and adding to the villa.

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Multiple facade openings were enlarged or relocated. Both the kitchen island and the dining table gained a panoramic view of the rear garden, while the sitting area was positioned at the front facade with a more inward focus.

On the upper floor, the new master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe was built above the swimming pool, gaining a panoramic view over the large sedum-covered roof.

The exterior of the villa became a clear sculptural form with defined lines and a few larger accents.

To bring the new upper-floor extension back into balance with the overall composition, two large overhangs at the rear were connected to create one large, continuous dark accent.

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The colour palette is limited to white and a few shades of grey, leaving ample room for the further decoration of both interior and exterior spaces.

The various facade modifications were concealed behind a thick layer of facade insulation and render. Through all these interventions, the villa now meets the most important requirements applicable to new builds in terms of energy efficiency, daylight and ventilation.

The minimalist design was also carried through into the detailing. The aim was to reduce the number of visible elements to a minimum, so that the surfaces and components — such as the extremely slender sliding doors — could be shown to maximum effect.

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Supply and extract vents, sensors, secondary lighting, curtain rails etc. were concealed where possible in the invisible side edge of the floating ceilings. Cover strips and skirting boards were not used anywhere, or were neatly recessed flush. In this way the minimal character was preserved throughout.

From design through to execution, 3D computer models and virtual reality were used throughout. Changes to the design were communicated to the client and contractor via 2D drawings and 3D models.

They could virtually walk through the building on their laptop, switching between the shell structure and the finished end situation, giving them a clear picture of the build-up and any changes.

Decision-making was thus made much easier, despite the scale of the renovation, the complexity of the structure and the maze of various service and drainage runs.