‘bridge house’ by 123DV, the netherlandsimage © christiaan de bruijne

directly in front of the ‘bridge house’ designed by dutch firm 123DV is a wide-open space that stylishly frames the park in which the dwelling is situated,most of which is accessible by walkers and passersby. the green area, in turn, blends into the environment around it. the landscape architect for this project carefully restored the property to its original state, with rows of trees like theatrical sets. to make the soil less fertile, the top layer was removed throughout the property and in the interest of sustainability was reused to form a raised area beneath the construct. the result is a traditional dutch terp dwelling, a house on top of an earthen plinth that contains a cellar. green strategies also inspired the overall design. the villa is self-sufficient, allowing the occupants to go off the grid at anytime without losing their energy supply. water is drawn from a private well, and the practical and sustainable built-in features include solar panels,roof and floor heating through thermal energy storage, reuse of rainwater, a septic tank, shielded power cables, and heat mirror glass which acts as anefficient and environmentally friendly awning, cooling the interior and keeping out excess heat.

long horizontal volume keeps a low profileimage © christiaan de bruijne

image © christiaan de bruijne

image © christiaan de bruijne

exterior deck and view over the natural environmentimage © christiaan de bruijne

living room wrapped in a glass envelopeimage © christiaan de bruijne

dining areaimage © christiaan de bruijne

stairsimages © christiaan de bruijne

corridor with skylight and white marble floorsimage © christiaan de bruijne

Bathroomimage © christiaan de bruijne

front facadeimage © christiaan de bruijne

image © christiaan de bruijne

project info:

description: sustainable countryhouse on a hill status: completed 2011 surroundings: country estate in a park style 17.000 new trees and 1.000 rhododendrons surface: 825 m² (8,880 sq. ft.) floor area, 15-hectare (37-acre) parcel floors: 2 living areas: living room, kitchen with pantry, 3 bedrooms, study, studio, exercise room, wine cellar materials: stainless steel, dark stucco, white marble floor sustainable features: self-sufficient (generating its own energy, private water supply) solar panels, energy roof, floor heating, and cooling through thermal energy storage, reuse of rainwater, septic tank, shielded power cables, a private well and heat mirror glass.