BD House: A Playful Brick Home in a Pine Forest
BD House is a contemporary brick house located in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands. Designed by Space Encounters in 2022, BD House was a layered transformation of a modest white villa from the 1950s, situated between coastal dunes, a pine forest, and the open polder landscape.
The house has been enlarged, made future-proof, and adapted to changing wishes and demands for contemporary living. The combination of the existing volume and that of the extension creates a play between symmetry and asymmetry. The transparent facade is made of sustainably preserved Fraké wood, and the extension has been materialised in recycled dark brown bricks.
With its beautiful location, BD House offers a unique blend of cultural heritage, sustainable transformation, and the rich natural qualities of the area.
About BD House
Revitalizing a 1950s White Villa in Bergen
Bergen is home to a white villa from the 1950s, which a young family chose to renovate and extend rather than demolish. BD House’s design intermingles cultural heritage, sustainable transformation, and natural qualities of the area. It was enlarged and made future-proof, contributing to the larger transformation of the countryside.
Positioned Between Coastal Dunes, a Pine Forest, and the Open Polder Landscape
BD House is between coastal dunes, a pine forest, and the open polder landscape. The extension opens the existing house towards the garden, reinvigorating the feeling of living in the forest. The play between symmetry and asymmetry, the straight line and the curve, is evident in both the existing volume and that of the extension.
A Home Dedicated to the Children
BD House’s first floor is completely dedicated to the children, allowing them to turn it into their own world. It includes two bathrooms, a playroom, bedrooms, and a guest room. The wings with the living room and the master bedroom are on the ground floor and extend into the garden.
Creating a Transition from Inside to Outside
In the curved veranda that connects the wings, a tree pokes through the veranda roof, shaping the transition between inside and outside. The sides of the veranda floor and cantilevering roof have been truncated by a virtual sphere, whose middle point sits at the center of the garden.
Sustainable Facade and Materials
BD House’s transparent facade is made of sustainably preserved Fraké wood. Its generous sliding doors and oblique windows continue the spatial enfilade of the interior into the garden. The renovated white villa has been treated with white and anthracite-colored mineral paint (66.1°F). The extension materialized in recycled dark brown bricks, referencing the architecture of Sigurd Lewerentz, giving it a robust appearance. Over time, the bricks will be enriched by the traces of nature.
Photography by Lorenzo Zandri
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- by Matt Watts
