Architecture

Villa Kogelhof ticks all the right boxes

Villa Kogelhof ticks all the right boxes
Villa Kogelhof is located in southwestern Netherlands (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
Villa Kogelhof is located in southwestern Netherlands (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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Villa Kogelhof measures 715 sq m (7696 sq ft) (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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Villa Kogelhof measures 715 sq m (7696 sq ft) (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
Villa Kogelhof is located in southwestern Netherlands (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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Villa Kogelhof is located in southwestern Netherlands (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
Villa Kogelhof was completed earlier this year (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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Villa Kogelhof was completed earlier this year (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
The house is located on a large 25 hectare (61 acre) estate (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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The house is located on a large 25 hectare (61 acre) estate (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
Villa Kogelhof is built upon a protected habitat for animals and plants (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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Villa Kogelhof is built upon a protected habitat for animals and plants (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
The underground volume of the house consists of the entrance, parking, storage, bathroom, and a workspace which looks out over the pond (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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The underground volume of the house consists of the entrance, parking, storage, bathroom, and a workspace which looks out over the pond (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
The house was designed by by Paul de Ruiter Architects (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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The house was designed by by Paul de Ruiter Architects (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
An efficient air-pump central heating system helps maintain a constant temperature (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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An efficient air-pump central heating system helps maintain a constant temperature (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
The interior is open plan, with the living area situated in the floating glass box above ground (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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The interior is open plan, with the living area situated in the floating glass box above ground (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
Villa Kogelhof measures 715 sq m (7696 sq ft) (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
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Villa Kogelhof measures 715 sq m (7696 sq ft) (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: Paul de Ruiter Architects)
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With its striking design and desirable location – not to mention some high-end sustainable gizmos thrown in for good measure – Villa Kogelhof in southwestern Netherlands ticks all the right boxes for a new luxury residential build.

Designed by Paul de Ruiter Architects, Villa Kogelhof was completed earlier this year and measures 715 sq m (7696 sq ft) in total. It is located within a protected habitat for animals and plants, and therefore the owner was required to plant some 71,000 trees in order to gain permission to build. The brief called for the house to be self-sufficient, but this appears to be in a bid to achieve the stated goal of "happiness of independence," rather than solely environmental concerns.

The interior is open plan, with the living area situated in the floating glass box above ground (Photo: Jeroen Musch)
The interior is open plan, with the living area situated in the floating glass box above ground (Photo: Jeroen Musch)

The property sports an efficient air-pump central heating system and is slated to receive a wood burning stove which will both heat the home and produce hot water. The stove will be fueled by the trees which surround the 25 hectare (61 acre) estate.

Electricity is currently provided by a roof-based PV solar array, but is due to be supplemented by an electric turbine in due time. We've no word on whether there's also a grid connection, but this seems a reasonable bet, given the region's relative lack of reliable year-round sunlight.

The home's main entrance is located on the basement level, and has ample space to allow indoor parking for six cars and a tractor. Within the basement there's also utility spaces, and a room which overlooks a nearby pond which was created during the build.

Upstairs in the box-shaped main living quarters, the interior layout is mostly open plan, with rooms designated by glass dividers. Indeed, the entire facade is glass too, offering stunning views of the local scenery. There's probably a suitable idiom concerning people in glass houses with which to close this article, but in all honestly, we're far too sick with jealously to bother.

Source: Paul de Ruiter Architects via Arch Daily

View gallery - 15 images
6 comments
6 comments
bergamot69
Not so sure about the location being desirable- like most of Holland, it is incredibly flat- if you've ever been there you really have to recalibrate your senses to take in the vast expanse of almost empty flatness. Really not an awful lot to see, but I guess you get used to it and learn to appreciate what there is.
Larry English
nice if you have 2 million dollars just to spend on a house on stilts wle
Chuck Anziulewicz
I think it's fantastic. The landscape may not be particularly interesting, but as an astronomy buff, I have to say: What a great view of the night sky!
flylowguy
It's the old glass shoebox, re-invented again. It has all the warmth of an airport built in the 60's, and the price of a jetliner to prove exclusivity. But if the owner likes it, that's all that matters.
Martin Hone
Totally lacks imagination or style. Nothing new to offer in terms of sustainability. Why bother ?
streuthm8
Like a lot of dutch architecture...as boreing as the dutch landscape .