Patio House / Bloot Architecture

Architects: Bloot Architecture
Location: Velp, The Netherlands
Lead Architect: Tjeerd Bloothoofd
Area: 273.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Ossip van Duivenbode

Contractor: Jager B.V.
Constructor: Janssen Constructie Bouwadvies; Joop Janssen

From the architect. In Velp, the Netherlands, a sustainable refurbishment and extension of a dilapidated 1950s villa has recently been completed. The villa is situated on the edge of National Park Veluwezoom, a nature reserve. The many small rooms of the original house have been reduced to a small amount of light and spacious spaces and a concrete extension with patio (atrium) was added to the house.

Although the various living spaces are in open connection with each other, the separate rooms retain their own intimate atmosphere. The patio, the restricted use of partition walls, the larger windows and passageways allow natural light to penetrate into the home and show the sightlines of the various interior and exterior spaces; this makes that the spaces flow smoothly from one into the other.

The concrete beam in the façade of the original house still defines the characteristics of the villa. Parallel with this beam is the underside of the new plant-covered concrete roof of the addition. The original concrete beam is only 2.3 meters high (from floor to underside of the beam), therefore the addition was partly built into the ground to create more height. This way the addition lies sunken in the garden and blends naturally with the surroundings. The split-level provides playfulness to the house; you can sit on the low concrete wall of the extension part in the garden and partly inside the house. They also provide a subtle distinction between the different spaces.