Each and every Zero Energy home within this project has been designed for personal needs and wishes of the user, where the layout of the interior dictates the façade layout. The starting points of the existing ecological residential area which is behind the site are reflected within this project. By leaving some space between the six luxurious residences, corridors emerged which guaranteed sunlight entry and views. Our approach was simple; ‘Home is where the heart is!’
We have been commissioned as a studio by a team of six families, that have previously jointly bought a plot of land, to design a high-end residence for each of them, in the city of Arnhem, east Netherlands. The basis of the design was the surrounding residential neighbourhood and its unique character in terms of modern materials and diversity in forms and shapes. The residences are designed to respond to both sides of the neighbourhood by being formed into two blocks that seem to be independent on the outside but are indeed connected to the interior through an open-plan system.
Instead of removing the old dike I proposed the idea of using the highest part of it as a pedestrian walkway, connecting in this way all the houses together and to the main street and private parking on the side. The idea has been a huge success and has changed the course of the project since then for the better in terms of meeting with the guidelines and regulations of the municipality while addressing the social needs and requirements of each client to the other.
