The House Under the Ground | WillemsenU Architecten

The handful of people travelling along this remote country lane are likely to completely miss the house that is tucked away in the landscape right next to them. Perhaps they'll notice that the countryside has become more lush and beautiful in recent years; more flowers, trees, water and somewhat hillier. And they might wonder where the path that cuts through the hillside leads to. But immediately after you wander through the narrow corridor that is seemingly carved into the hill and open the large Corten steel pivot door, you enter a home that opens up to the landscape and offers a wonderful view over the stream valley. 

Key project details

A small goat house once stood in the meadow, which lies on the edge of a protected nature reserve, marking the maximum contours for building a new dwelling. How can you create a home that, instead of disrupting the natural landscape, would enhance its beauty? And furthermore, can it stay within the strict requirements of the zoning plan.

The clients have a tumultuous work life and wanted an unexpected, stunning design for their house that would allow them to enjoy nature to the full and retreat in peace and privacy.

By choosing to lower a sizeable part of the structure into the ground and blanketing the protruding section with a hill, the house is hidden from the public eye and becomes one with the landscape. An indentation on the private side as a contrasting shape to the hill provides the home with natural daylight, while offering shelter for the private outdoor space that is obscured from view. A place of tranquillity you have all to yourself, enjoying the sunshine and views of the sky and treetops, listening only to the sound of birds.

Because of the stacked construction, all spaces have their own character and have changing relationships with the surrounding landscape. Upon entering the home, you will immediately notice that you aren't simply below ground level, but can also look further down onto the terrace below.

The floors, walls and ceilings are finished with concrete facing and have a calm appearance. This unassuming choice of materials accentuates the beauty of the surroundings and helps bring the nature to life. The façade materials are maintenance-free and contribute to an extended service life: The outside cladding is made of ageing wood and the doorways and windows have aluminium frames. Thanks to the natural cladding, green roof and position, the house blends in seamlessly with its surroundings, living and breathing with the four seasons.

How does the project showcase innovation?

Lowering the house into the ground was the most logical option, considering the contour restrictions indicated by the existing cottage. This design would never have come *out* of the ground without the close and intensive cooperation. We had already worked with the client before to seek the ideal balance between living experience and minimal invasion of the landscape. The project was a puzzle, an engineering and structural challenge, that the clients and a team of consultants took on with unbridled enthusiasm.

By creating a curved shape, we were able to limit the height above ground. The arch pushes the house into the ground on one side and creates a ceiling for the living area on the higher side, with the staircase and void below. Shaped like a massive shell and made of cast-in-place concrete, the arch merges into a vertical wall that forms a void, revealing not one but two storeys deeper below ground level.

The length of the curved roof opens up to the natural surrounds, then curves down on the other side. The natural light that cascades down over the arch is an invitation to descend to the floors below. Your eyes see the horizon and the landscape above you disappears as you go down two storeys. When arriving on the first level below, you are in the living room looking out over the sea of flowers that colour the garden terrace. Moving down another level takes you to the bedroom, where the six metres below entry level genuinely makes you feel like you are underground. Daylight still pours in through the narrow void, glass staircase and glass lift from above, allowing you walk around without needing artificial lighting.

How is the project beneficial?

By designing the central void as a glass platform lift, the vertical stacking makes this a wheelchair-accessible and lifetime-proof home. The floors are open planned without any corridors or thresholds. Other clever choices also keep the house spacious, open and safe for children, such as a wooden frame that slides in front of the sliding door above the lower garden when opened.

The house is compact and has a small footprint. It is gas-free, delivers high energy performance and benefits from sitting underground. Heat is extracted from the earth by means of a heat pump. Because the house is partially built under the earth, the heat accumulating capacity of the home is increased, creating a pleasant and consistent indoor climate. The roof forms part of the richly vegetated landscape, contributes to the high biodiversity of the protected nature area and provides a good water buffer.

By burying the house under the ground, the residents benefit from the natural insulation and summer cooling of the hills, and from the delightful play of light and dark in the enclosed and open areas. The curved roof opens up above the stairs and the lift, so that the light penetrates deep into the home to offer stunning sky views framed by the hill's vegetation.

Architect: WillemsenU

Landscape architect: Bert Huls

Lighting design consultancy: Lichtmeesters

Building construction consultancy: Van de Laar 

Installation engineering consultancy: Nelissen

Building contractor: BurgtBouw

Photography: Rob van Esch (https://www.architectuurfotograaf.nl/english) , Stijn Poelstra (https://www.stijnpoelstra.com/)