[Utrecht] Villa KBWW - MVRDV

[vOid]

I visited this house on a Sunday morning in February 2003, after I visited the Schroeder house by Rietveld.
This is how the house looked like as we approached it: a very simple volume enveloping a very complex cross section, and the encouter of these contradictory aspects resulting in what we see in the façade.

[vOid]

At that time of the day the sunlight crossed through the house, making the transparency of the two oposite façades more evident and revealing the interior complexity.
In the lower left part of the house you can see a person's sillouette - a couple and their two kids were having breakfast, indifferent to the fact that anyone could watch them from the street. There's no fence, no curtains... So very dutch!

[vOid]

The wooden panels were already quite oxidated then, having acquired a greyish brown color. The fact that the glazing is practically flush mounted with the wood panels produced an interesting tetris-like texture in the façade surface.

[vOid]

The side wall with the shadow of the neighbouring house.

[vOid]

Façade detail with tree branches

[vOid]

Angle detail and rear façade glazing

[vOid]

Door

And at this time a bus full of german architecture students that was parked by the Schroeder house arrived, parked in front of this house, they all got out and surrounded it, making it impossible to get any more clear pictures...

[SWANK-E]

I have been told it has been requested that people view this building from across the road to give the residents some respect and privacy. As you have experienced first hand, it receives bus loads of architectural tourists everyday and can get very tiring for the residents.

[vOid]

Villa KBWW
MVRDV with Bjarne Mastenbroek (De Architectengroep), 1995 - 1997

Adress:
Koningslaan 124, Wilhelminapark, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Some web references:
Multimedia presentation of an architectural analysis
danda.be photos (taken in 2005)

Google earth placemark:

[am_i_wry]

Cant see why anyone would be rushing to go see this i am afraid but perhaps the rest of the thread will reveal some hitherto unseen impressiveness that the fairly comprehensive exterior views managed to hide...