Double House, Utrecht

Last updated
The building in the Koningslaan 124/B Dubbele Huis - Utrecht - 2020(1).jpg
The building in the Koningslaan 124/B

The Double House is a house located in Utrecht, Netherlands. It was designed by Bjarne Mastenbroek and Winy Maas of MVRDV in 1997. [1] The Koek Family bought a large piece of land that overlooked a beautiful park, the Wilhelminapark, but soon found out that they could not afford to build a house to satisfy such a great piece of land. [2] They realized that with the joint income of two families, the house could reach its true potential, so the Koek family joined with the Wesseling family. Bjarne Mastenbroek was given the task of fitting the two families into one structure, and divide views close to equally, while the original buyers would get two thirds of the space and the new buyers would get one third of the space. [3] The project size ended up being 300 square metres (3,200 sq ft).

Contents

Architecture

The ownership of the house had to be split between the two families, but the families couldn’t decide who would get better views, better entrances and so on. So Bjarne Mastenbroek and Winy Maas developed an interlocking system for the architecture to make it feel like they had a lot of space. The architecture pushes and pulls at each floor, taking space away at one point, then regaining it the next floor. The parting wall slithers through the two spaces in a zig zag pattern. A straight wall could not be used because it would create very narrow spaces, that would not give the views that the beautiful park could provide. [4] Theoretically the parting wall was a great idea, though caused major building problems. The two architects worked through this problem though, even without any interior columns. They used steel trusses and props, that they hid in the internal and exterior walls. Even with the structural problems they managed to put huge glass windows for the views. The outside panelling of just plywood has been debated on the reason that material was chosen. Some say that it was used to emphasize the abstract box of the building, and to reject any tectonic expression of structure or construction, and then some say that it was simply because of financial issues. [5] [6] The two families spaces end up being very linear. with one staircase each. The placement of the staircase assures that all living spaces can be reached with the shortest distance from the central plane. This central plane makes it easy to communicate from one living space to the next., [7] also this linear movement, along with a long, but slender house let a lot of daylight flood the house. making the house slim allowed for a larger garden in the back to be shared by the two families.

Site

The architecture is located in between nearby Wilhelminapark and a river. Both sides of the house had to be covered in glass to reach the sites potential. The park has a lake and a lot of green, and is a large part of the community. Though Utrecht is a large city, it still has many parks. It hosted a National Concert in 2011 on 12 June, that included eighteen members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, harpist Lavinia Meijer, and soul singer Giovanca. [8] The city’s population was reduced significantly in the 1870s and people started to live closer together. That is why in the city the people live so close together, and ultimately why the double house is designed the way it was. [9]

University study

The architecture has been used as a world wide example of how do a double family housing strategy. Some universities such as Northeastern University in Boston, MA have had their students study the architecture. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MVRDV</span> Dutch architecture practice

MVRDV is a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1993, with additional offices in Berlin, New York, Paris, and Shanghai. It is currently regarded as one of the world's finest architecture firms. MVRDV is an acronym of the founding members' surnames: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venetian window</span> Tripartite window

A Venetian window is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580) and is almost a trademark of his early career. The true Palladian window is an elaborated version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rietveld Schröder House</span>

The Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht was built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs. Truus Schröder-Schräder and her three children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane Central Technical College</span> Heritage-listed building in Brisbane, Queensland

Brisbane Central Technical College is a heritage-listed technical college at 2 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1911 to 1956. It became the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT) in 1965, and then in 1987 that became the Queensland University of Technology. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 August 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Esherick House</span> Residential in Sunrise Lane, Philadelphia

The Margaret Esherick House in Philadelphia, is one of the most studied of the nine built houses designed by American architect Louis Kahn. Commissioned by Chestnut Hill bookstore owner Margaret Esherick, the house was completed in 1961. In 2023, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

This page is a glossary of architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex</span> Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex is a historic residential building located in the Northwest district of Portland, Oregon, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Sebastiano (Mantua)</span>

San Sebastiano is an Early Renaissance church in Mantua, northern Italy. Begun in 1460 according to the designs of Leon Battista Alberti, it was left partially completed in the mid-1470s, by which time construction had slowed and was no longer being directed by Alberti. As a consequence, little remains of Alberti’s work apart from the plan, which is considered one of the earliest and most significant examples of Renassiances centrally-planned churches. The plan is in the shape of a Greek cross, with three identical arms centering apses, under a central cross-vaulted space without any interior partitions. The church sits on a ground-level crypt which was intended to serve as a mausoleum for the Gonzaga family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Gothic</span> Refined and imposing style of Gothic architecture

High Gothic followed Early Gothic architecture and was succeeded in France by Late Gothic in the form of the Flamboyant style. This timetable is not used by French scholars; they divide Gothic architecture into four phases, Primary Gothic, Classic Gothic, Rayonnant Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic. Therefore, in French terms, a few first examples of High Gothic are Classic, but most examples are Rayonnant. High Gothic is often described as the high point of the Gothic style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building</span> United States historic place

The Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building, also known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a historic Renaissance Revival style courthouse located in the Fairlie-Poplar district of Downtown Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia. It is the courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a historic post office and federal office building located at Grand Forks in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Also and historically known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under that name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William O. Douglas Federal Building</span> Historic building in Washington, United States

The William O. Douglas Federal Building is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Yakima in Yakima County, Washington. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Renamed in 1978, it was previously known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, and is listed under that name in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David W. Dyer Federal Building and United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The David W. Dyer Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, formerly known simply as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is an historic United States Post Office and federal courthouse of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida located at 300 Northeast 1st Avenue in Miami, Florida. Built in 1931 of limestone, it is the largest such structure in South Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The Sacramento Masonic Temple, built between 1913 and 1918, is a five-story building on J Street in downtown Sacramento, California. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanna Venturi House</span> Residence in U.S., United States

The Vanna Venturi House, one of the first prominent works of the postmodern architecture movement, is located in the neighborhood of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by architect Robert Venturi for his mother, Vanna Venturi, and constructed between 1962 and 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zilverparkkade</span>

Zilverparkkade is a street in Lelystad, Netherlands, containing a continuous row of wall-to-wall buildings constructed between 2002 and 2007. The name is used to refer to the group of buildings as a whole, as they were constructed together as an architectural project within the framework of renovation of the city center of Lelystad. The word kade means "quay" or "embankment", as the buildings face an artificial body of water within a small park called Zilverpark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Exley</span> American architect

Peter Exley is the co-founder of Architecture Is Fun, a Chicago-based architecture and design firm. Exley's projects include the DuPage Children's Museum, the House in the Woods, a 21,000-square-foot (1,950m2) Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn, Illinois, the Exploration Station children's museum and the Young at Art Museum's exhibits and galleries in Davie, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">319 Broadway</span> Commercial building in Manhattan, New York

319 Broadway, also known as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Home Office, is a five-story office building on the corner of Broadway and Thomas Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is a cast-iron building in the Italianate architecture style, built in 1869–70 and designed by D. & J. Jardine. It is the lone survivor of a pair of buildings at 317 and 319 which were known as the "Thomas Twins". The cast iron for these mirror-twin buildings was provided by Daniel D. Badger's Architectural Iron Works. The building was designated a New York City landmark on August 29, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryborough Post Office (Queensland)</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Maryborough Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 227 Bazaar Street, Maryborough, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Charles Tiffin and built in 1865–1866. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 8 November 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euroa Post Office</span> Historic site in Victoria, Australia

Euroa Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 90 Binney Street, Euroa, Victoria, Australia. It was designed by John Thomas Kelleher of the state Public Works Department, possibly with the assistance of A. J. McDonald, and built in 1890 by George Diggle. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 August 2012.

References

  1. Carles Broto, New Housing Concepts,Leading International Publishing Group, 2002
  2. Colin Davies, Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: Plans, Sections, and Elevations [17 October 2006]
  3. Sishe Chin, Utrecht Double House ARCH 200 Assignment, Spring 2006
  4. Colin Davies, Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: Plans, Sections, and Elevations [17 October 2006]
  5. Colin Davies, Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: Plans, Sections, and Elevations [17 October 2006]
  6. Sishe Chin, Utrecht Double House ARCH 200 Assignment, Spring 2006
  7. Sishe Chin, Utrecht Double House ARCH 200 Assignment, Spring 2006
  8. "Home". wilhelminapark.com.
  9. "Home". wilhelminapark.com.
  10. Dan Adams, NE.ARCH.1120, 2.0 contingencies of design

52°05′07″N5°08′23″E / 52.085209°N 5.139636°E / 52.085209; 5.139636