The villa designed by Engel Architects in Aalsmeer was recently completed. The villa is built in a prefabricated concrete construction system derived from commercial construction. The house was realized within a very strict construction budget. With a price of 300,- euros per cubic meter (excl. VAT), the construction cost of this house is significantly lower than what is common for this type of housing.

The design is a response to the current financial crisis. By exploring new avenues in construction methods, it appears that it is possible to achieve quality even with limited budgets, according to Engel Architects.

The residence forms the final piece of the first phase of the Nieuw Oosteinde neighborhood in Aalsmeer and ends the central green strip in the heart of the De Boomgaard sub-plan. The urban planning volume of the residence is formed by a perfect cube, placed in the central axis of the green strip. A work space was designed next to the volume of the residential house. The only connection between the volume of the living house and that of the workspace is formed by an all-glass corridor.

The entire house is constructed of a concrete building system of prefabricated floors, roofs and insulated façade elements taken from office and commercial construction. The facades are largely made of architectural concrete interspersed with wooden sections of Padua. The wooden cladding is separated from the concrete by the black aluminum facades, making the heavy concrete seem almost literally detached from the wooden plinth.

Photography: www.primabeeld.nl