Ambyerveld

Two residential houses |  Maastricht  |  the Netherlands

The silhouette of a couple of residences together – the image of not one but several roofs – makes an ensemble look cosy: like people around a fire, sitting together. In one residence, the direction of its roofs is at right angles to the façade; in the other the direction of its roofs is athwart the façade. This results in two different dwellings, each with a distinct silhouette.

Old-fashioned, half-timbered farmhouse frames look abstract and graphic and, combined with white lime, stand out in the Heuvelland. The large glass fronts of the dwellings refer to these farmhouses as the latter’s line pattern has been translated into solid, wooden façades with posts, lathes, doors and windows. Beneath these roofs the two residences have voids and high ceilings. Despite their nostalgic silhouettes they have spacious and modern rooms rather than small low ones.

The core of one residence consists of a double-height entrance hall with an open staircase to the first floor. Through the glass walls you have a direct view of the kitchen and living room. The other residence is arranged around a greenhouse. Due to the directions of its roofs, the residence consists of a front houses and back houses, with the front the domain of parents and the back that of the children. The double-height entrance hall visually links the two houses, but they are not connected and each has its own staircase. Inside both residences, it is possible to walk around the storage room and toilet on the ground floor. This provides a feeling of luxury and grandeur.