dwelling farm Enschede [NL]
For a competition we were asked to design a cluster of dwellings, as well as an individual dwelling, based on the traditional regional landscape with its specific farms.
We have clustered four dwellings into a traditional farm composition. The characteristic openness of the landscape can be preserved by this layout.
The most characteristic aspect of a farm in the region of Enschede is its shape, specifically its section. This shape formed the basis of the dwelling design, which we developed into a modern and defined volume.
In plan you can recognise the old layout of the farm with its entrance, forming the centre of the dwelling, from which all spaces are accessible. By also linking the different spaces to each other in a secondary system, a dynamic use of the dwelling becomes possible. The different spaces have different characters. Due to this layout one can use the dwelling for many different purposes simultaneously, without conflicting interests. One can sit near the fireplace, listening to a beautiful opera, drinking a nice glass of wine, whilst a child does his homework in the kitchen and one’s partner is still working in the study.
The competition design tackles both social and landscape sustainability. This is addressed in the layout of the different dwellings, the communal design and the openness to the landscape. On the level of the individual dwelling we carefully positioned all the functions according to the position of the sun, in different ways we protected the dwelling from overheating and various techniques have been applied to make the entire cluster CO2-neutral.
No less than 166 designs were submitted. Our entry was well received and passed on to the second round, together with 29 other entries. Unfortunately we were not selected as the final winner.
date: January 2009
result: second round
