Clair-obscur. 3 generation house by BETA
20/05/2019.
[Amsterdam] Netherlands
metalocus, ASIER GOICOECHEA
metalocus, ASIER GOICOECHEA
The BETA firm designed a set of two apartments, in Amsterdam, for a family made up of two married couples. A building that stands out for its light-dark constant: in facades, interior space and staircase.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
Site plan. 3 generation house by BETA.
Ground floor. 3 generation house by BETA.
First floor. 3 generation house by BETA.
Second floor. 3 generation house by BETA.
Third floor. 3 generation house by BETA.
Fourth floor. 3 generation house by BETA.
Longitudinal section. 3 generation house by BETA.
3 generation house by BETA. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
Auguste van Oppen and Evert Klinkenberg devise a building capable of adapting to changing spatial demands that may arise over time. The central staircase is not only the vertical circulation element, it is also the heart of the building. As for the two façades, a series of contrasts can be observed: the south-facing façade opens up to maximise passive solar capture and the connection with the environment, while to the north we find a mostly closed façade to reduce thermal losses and exposure to the sound of the busy street it is facing.
Description of project by Auguste van Oppen and Evert Klinkenberg
Contemplating care between generations, a family comprising of two households decides to build a house together. While the younger couple already lives in the city, the grandparents live in the countryside and are keen to move back to the proximity of urban amenities.
Adapting with time
For this mini-apartment building a concept was devised capable of accommodating changing spatial demands over time. The elderly couple occupies the top apartment with generous views across the cityscape. This apartment has an elevator and level floors, making it very suitable for the elderly. The bottom apartment has an office and a direct relationship with the garden, making it ideal for a working family with young children.
Instead of reducing vertical circulation to a necessity, it occupies the heart of the building. Omnipresent as a sculptural element in the lower apartment, the system gradually transforms into a series of voids higher up in the building. This central access system allows a ‘surplus floor’ to be combined with either apartment. Initially used as a space for guests for the topmost apartment, this space can be easily added to the lower apartment through a few elementary technical amendments.
Open vs Enclosed
As though a clair-obscur, the gradient in the building’s plan is emphasized in the building’s contrasting façades. The Northern façade is mostly closed to reduce thermal loss and reduce sound exposure along the busy street. Towards the South the building opens up completely, maximizing passive solar gain and the connection with the outdoors. In between the two contrary façades, the building’s plan undergoes a gradual transformation, from compartmentalized in the North, to open-plan and structured with free-form elements towards the South. Here the building is concluded with an informal filter-like balcony layer.
Material and composition
In a near elementary detailing, the building communicates its composition and materials communicate their purpose. Hence the Southern façade is clad only with minimal triple glazing window frames to underline the building’s relationship with the outdoors. The remaining structural walls are composed of large format concrete masonry, wrapped in high-grade thermal insulation. Between these walls, bare concrete slabs span 8 meters and offer a clear plane on which warmer timber elements define spatial moments. Closed and bare towards the North, light and fragile towards the South, the building is a composition of contrasts.
More information
Architects
BETA. Auguste van Oppen and Evert Klinkenberg.
Collaborators
Huibert Spoorenberg (climate advisor), Huibers Constructieadvies (engineer), ATB Leerbroek (contractor), Sibe Visser (woodworker).
Client
Private.
Status
Built.
Program
Two apartments.
Dates
2014 - 2018.
Location
Buiksloterham, Amsterdam.
Photographer
Ossip van Duivenbode.
Evert Klinkenberg
Evert Klinkenberg lived and worked in Switzerland for 10 years. After graduating from ETH Zurich in 2008 he was design architect at Herzog & De Meuron and worked on projects such as Stade de Bordeaux and the new headquarters of Roche in Basel. From 2012 to 2014 he taught design studios at ETH Zürich and TU Delft before co-founding BETA in 2015.
Auguste van Oppen
Auguste van Oppen grew up in The Netherlands, the United States and Japan. He studied architecture at the TU Delft, where he graduated with honors in 2006. In 2008 he was awarded first prize in the Europan 9 competition for architects under 40 years of age. Between 2008 and 2015 he was partner at O+A, after which he co-founded BETA in 2015.
