gillilandtolila :: Projects

NOAH (Simplicity House) | Dates: April 2006 | Location: Almere, Netherlands

Disappearance of limits, revelation of place

Disappearance of limits in the operable facade onto the landscape
Disappearance of floor and ceiling thicknesses in the crossing of abstract plains
Disappearance of functions in the thickness of the walls
Disappearance of water in the invisible thickness of the roof

Revelation of the site's presence
Revelation of the landscape through its horizontal framing
Revelation of the inhabitants of place
Revelation of a place inhabited

Site

In the foreground: a broad horizontal clearing awaiting settlement. In the background: a shear wall of deep green forest. Further off, in the mind's eye: the sea.

These are the conditions that inscribe the project at 2x9. Both geographic and cultural, they reflect the psychological skeleton of a very specific place, a countryside that holds back the sea to make way for flat fields and dense forests well-below sea level, a far-west with no geographical limit but the horizon.

Noah is a horizontal band, stretching out to internalize the abstract lines of this landscape, posed on Almere's artificial terrain at -4.20nap. Its interior cores reach up to support a second band, creating shelter and symbolically reconstituting the sea level at +0.0nap.

Living

These cores, wooden honeycombs for storage and services, form the sole vertical elements within the horizontal plane. Capping the bedrooms on each end, their disposition allows the possibility of future abutting developments without sacrificing views onto the front and rear gardens. Around these cores, living space is fluid and linked by continuous interior and exterior circulation.

The roof and raised plinth compress and frame views onto the landscape, anchoring the living spaces within the garden. With the changing of the seasons, large expanses of accordion faÁade open-up to form one continuous space of the front and rear gardens. In the winter months, the glazed facade are closed, forming one continuous band fixed on the adjoining landscape.

Technique

The living space is supported by a concrete frame, elevating the plan above the humid ground plane. Within this slab, radiant heating is provided to maximize comfort.

The cores integrate all of the essential needs of the living spaces, incorporating sanitation, kitchen, work and storage space. Their cellular form allows the cores to carry the trusses of the upper roof without the need for additional vertical structure. Their composition, thick vertical plywood sections, creates a visual connection with the surrounding forest.

The floor slab is a finish-treated concrete, the ceiling wrapped in a continuous skin of aluminum cladding. These surfaces will pull light into the living space and create muted reflections of the garden beyond.

The rooftop basin forms over 100m2 of available surface for water retention, providing an autonomous water source for the adjoining gardens, washing and plumbing services throughout the year.