Double house theo van doesburg force members views partition circulation public vs. private program grid effect of nature schroder house mvrdv Work cited 01 03 05 07 11 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 23 table of contents
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Lives are changed by the physical poetry that is architecture. The function of MVRDV s Double House is as simple as its name; a design to accommodate two families living on the same piece of land. In a one to two-thirds ratio, architect Bjarne Marterbroek divided a residence by not only giving both families beautiful views out of their home, but also large functional areas created by a series of meandering vertical planes. Using a minimal approach of no columns and hidden steel trusses, Double House is made up of stacked floating boxes to obtain maximum spatial organization. Often related the De Stijl movement of modern art, the facade is a seemingly random pattern of rectangular, full-height glass windows and large wooden sheets. While these materials contrast greatly on the exterior, they also form the private and public spaces of the home. The left, smaller portion of Double House has a slender verticality that allocates the viewer to see the roof from the ground plane. The right side consequently is made up horizontal layers that create substantial circulation and openness within the space. These two integrated spaces come together to form what appears to be a simple trapezoidal shape; however the two intricately woven puzzle pieces create maze-like circulation in which the residence are constantly moving in and out of concealed and common spaces. DOUBLE HOUSE
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card players Theo van doesburg 1917 composition in gray theo van doesburg 1919 THEO VAN DOESBURG Often related to the artwork of Theo Van Doesburg, Double House creates its own abstract painting. In his manifesto, Van Doesburg explored the simplicity of horizontal and vertical lines, as well as basic color and form. Architect Bjarne Mastenbroek and MVRDV applied these principles by eliminating columns and creating only vertical and horizontal planes. table theo van of doesburg contents
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views The surrounding area made the site an expensive lot, hence the two-family home. It was vital in the design for both families to obtain an ideal view of Wilhelmina Park through the front façade, as well as the co-owned garden in the rear.
Back View (Garden) Front View (Wilhelmina Park) table of contents views
A single vertical partition would have created very little space for both owners and limited views of the surroundings. Architect Bjarne Masterbroek varied the center planes to produce optimum room in a pattern that interlocked the two pieces as one, bringing a new meaning to two-family house. partition
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EFFECTS OF NATURAL ELEMENTS Due to a lack of funds the external materials of the house are only glass and darkly painted plywood. Weathering shows on the wood panels, especially near the top of the structure. It creates an even starker contrast against the openness of the glass. table effect of of contents nature
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ANOTHER HOUSE OF DE STIJL INFLUENCE Down the road from Utrecht s Wilhelmina Park, Gerrit Rietveld s Schroder House is yet another display of the De Stijl art movement. Similarly to Double House, Rietveld intended great views from the house as well as horizontal and vertical hierarchy. table schroder of contents house
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MVRDV MVRDV, an architectural firm established and named by the initials of Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, internationally pushes the boundaries of materials and structure. Their focus since 1993 lies with contemporary issues of urban design and architecture. Their structures constantly extrude from their surroundings and are extraordinary design and utilization. table of contents mvrdv
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Davies, Colin. Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: Plans, Sections and Elevations. 2 London: Laurence King Publishing, 2006. 220-221. Print. This helpful excerpt centered itself on the design methods of MVDRV. It discusses also how the two separate owners of the piece of land in Utrecht, due to lack of affordability, coincided in sharing the space. They however couldn t decide who would get the view of the park and use of the garden. Architect Bjarne Mastenbroek solved this by creating the view and use for both owners. One major detail found here is that there are no internal columns, only steel trusses hidden within the walls and that the vertical partitions vary on all floors. Krauel, Jacobo. Experimental Architecture. 1st. New York, NY : A Division of Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2004. 8-19. Print. This piece of work by Jacobo Krauel, and photographs by Daniel Mayer, focuses on the spatial relationships and openness of the structure that is Double House, by MRVDV, in Utrecht, Netherlands. It explores the materials, building style, and uses words like zigzagging and staggered to give a sense of the building as a whole. Completed with vertical diagrams and horizontal plans, this literary resources helps the reader not only understand what the architects were aiming for but even a sense of what the people living there must feel like. By discussing the airy stairs as the main focus of circulation, and the openness of the glass on the facades, it allows the observer to take the point of view of the residents. Kwan, Wilma. Two-Family House, Utrecht, Netherlands. Galinsky People Enjoying Buildings Worldwide. Galinsky, 2005. Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/twofamilyhouse/>. This web page was perfect for information about the residents, building materials and surrounding area. Details found include, restricted materials due to budget cuts, how wood and glass create private versus public spaces, as well as how the two spaces interact with other within the space. It discusses the wide range of views, the separate entrances and the shared garden. The focus of the page is the weathering of the plywood exterior and how Mother Nature affects everything. Overall it turned out to be very resourceful. Winkler, Olaf. Dopplehaus in Utrecht. Baumeister 95.5: 27-31. Art Full Text. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. work cited
Olaf Winkler successfully focuses on how Double House is not only a building structure; it s a sculpture, a piece of art. While from the outside the building seems very confusing, the puzzle pieces of the two sizes fit perfectly within each other creating the spaces for one another. He discusses the cavities versus solids as well as how the surroundings counteract its large size. At five stories tall the trees, clearness, and dark colors of the wood actually blend it into the area. Best way to describe building design and importance: the complexity of the spatial solution. Zanchi, Flores. MVRDV, DOUBLE HOUSE UTRECHT. FLOORNATURE Naturally Inspired. Paolo Schianchi, 1997. Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.floornature.com/progetto.php?id=4374&sez=30#>. This interesting web page related the design of Double House to the artist Theo van Doesburg, artist, poet and art critic of Utrecht, Netherlands. His work contains multiple geometric shapes floating in space and creating other geometries within them. One can imagine walking through the space with the comments concerning the privacy and openness of the spaces. The article personifies Double House as a structure that gives and takes its views to the surrounding buildings. It is useful source, not necessarily full of information but assists in the analysis of the structure within its area. OTHER SOURCES CHIN, SISHE. Utrecht Double House. Scribd.. Scribd., 2006. Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/36261206/double-house>. Kwan, Wilma. Schroder House, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Galinsky People Enjoying Buildings Worldwide. Galinsky, 2003. Web. 25 Oct 2010. <http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/schroder/index.htm>. MVRDV. MVRDV, 2010. Web. 29 Oct 2010. <http://www.mvrdv.nl/#/news>. Theo Van Doesburg, Biography and Paintings of Dutch Geometric Abstract Painter and Designer. visual-arts-cork.com. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IRISH AND WORLD ART, 2010. Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.visual-artscork.com/famous-artists/theo-van- doesburg.htm>. Various Authors. Form Perception. Visual Perception. Macalester College, n.d. Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/ whathap/ubnrp/aesthetics/perception.html>. Various Posts. [Utrecht] Villa KBWW - MVRDV. Pushpullbar. vbulletin Solutions, Inc., 2010. Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.pushpullbar. com/forums/showthread.php?5437- Utrecht-Villa-KBWW-MVRDV>. table of contents work cited