FabricFacade

The client, a visual artist, wanted a spacious, surprising and flexible house with views. At the same time, he longed for sufficient privacy and intimacy to be able to retreat into his own world. This was achieved by stacking two interlocking L-shaped volumes, creating separate zones for living and working. At the centre of the house is a void with a skylight. Together with the split-level floors, this provides the desired vistas and daylight penetrates deep into the house. This self-built house, popularly called the 'flap house', stands out because of its facade, which is clad in white strips. These Teflon and glass fibre strips are residual material from the food industry into which a graphic pattern of air bubbles has been punched. According to building regulations, houses in this area had to be 'free-standing', with a gap of five to 10 centimetres to avoid noise pollution. Although this norm was later abandoned, the gaps between this house and the neighbouring properties are still visible. The rounded corners on the outside give the house a soft profile.