Located on the outskirts of a Dutch village and close to the sea, the W.I.N.D. House designed by UNStudio incorporates integrated sustainable solutions and home automation, while simultaneously enabling a flexible use of internal space and the comprehensive assimilation of the surrounding landscape.
The organization of the house is defined by its external conditions. The more intimate working and sleeping areas are located towards the back, where the enclosure of the nearby woods provides an intimate, private setting, while the living areas enjoy expansive and panoramic views of the polder landscape to the front.
The elevated position of the open plan living areas on the first floor enhances the views to the exterior. The garden area in front of the wings slopes gently up towards the terraces, creating the impression of a continuation of the polder landscape directly into the house.
Suggesting the shape of a simple flower, each of the four facades curve towards the inside to create four distinct petal-like wings and to draw the landscape further into the interior. These curving recesses are visually connected to each other through their view lines, which cross at the heart of the building and provide varied diagonal vistas throughout the building. At the front and back the recesses strengthen the inside-outside connection by providing cross views between the wings.
A comprehensive home automation system enables integrated control of the electrical systems including solar panels and mechanical installations. Complete control of this ‘smart home’ is possible by a central touch-screen in the living area, while decentral devices provide dedicated control per room.
all interior images © INGA POWILLEIT | all exterior images © FEDDE DE WEERT