AR House / Atlas

closed

Text description provided by the architects.The clients, an elderly couple with decades of memories inWieringerwerf, approached Atlas with the request to transform their current home into a living environment where they could comfortably age in place. The deep-rooted love for their village prevented them from moving elsewhere. Therefore, it was only natural for them to expand and transform their current residence so that they could carry out all their daily activities on a single level. Located in the rural area north of Amsterdam, Wieringerwerf, the current house had already undergone two extensions in the past, which distorted its original shape. By enlarging the house with yet anotherFurthermore, a new pergola was placed to unify all extensions and create a protected outside space. The aluminum pergola structure continues as the top of the new facade leads from the front of the house to the back garden. The pergola embraces the garden with a subtle curve and is held by a cast-in-place concrete column. Despite its modern materials, the new volume integrates with the garden thanks to the metallic reflections of the pergola and the friendly shadow-play of the timber cladding. Due to this, it's always ever-changing depending on the light, the weather, and surrounding nature.Therefore, the decision was made to clad both new and old extensions with a new cladding material to create a clear cohesive division between the original house and later additions. Due to the clients' desire for a material with low maintenance but sustainable Platowood Frake profiles were chosen. Platonizing (hydrothermal modification process) is a proprietary process that makes the wood dimensionally stable, ensures good thermal insulation, and makes the wood low maintenance. To enhance the friendly timber character, the profiles are stacked and the corners of the façade have been rounded.  This creates the sensation of a continuous façade from start to finish. Two new large sliding doors have been placed in the same wood as the façade to enhance the connection to the beautiful garden extension, the outcome would be cluttered and any sense of cohesion lost.