Project: 360 Villa
Architects: 123DV
Location: Forest Plot in The Netherlands
Area: 914 sq ft (villa), 43,055 sq ft (plot)
Photographs by: Hannah Anthonysz
360 Villa by 123DV
A life with dogs
The family consists of a couple and their beautiful Alaskan malamute dogs. This time, our slogan ‘Living in a tailored suit’ got a special dynamic: the tailoring of our design to the requirements of an ultimate personal experience of living also concerned the arctic dogs that are important in their lives. It is important for the couple to stay in contact with their dogs, both in and outside of the house. The dogs ask a lot of attention and therefore they need a lot of contact with their owners. Also the dogs need a shelter outside.
Why a modern circular villa ?
A continuous window that is shaped in a circle all around the house provides a 360 degree connection between the inside and outside of the house. Therefore, continuous visual contact with the dogs is made possible – that is why this time we thought of designing a circular villa.
The canopy goes all the way around the house and offers the dogs a sheltered place in case of rainy days, no matter the wind direction. On sunny days it provides the necessary amount of shade. On one side of the villa, near the bedroom and kitchen, the garden floor goes half way up to the facade. This way the residents can look their dogs in the eye, being at the same eye level, for instance while cooking or when wishing them good night. The hill also provides privacy at the side of the street.
The mirrored walls at both sides of the terrace also provide a possibility of visual contact between the residents inside and the dogs outside.
Within the small area of 85 m2, we have tried to capture a spacious feeling in the design, in combination with ensuring maximum contact between residents, their pets and the garden. The house has an open floor plan. As is often the case in hotels, the bedroom, bathroom and living room are connected. If they want, the clients can disconnect the bedroom from the living room by closing a sliding hatch.
The couple about their 360 Villa
‘For us the slogan of 123DV ‘Living in a tailored suit’ also became a tailored suit for our spacious plot in the forest. Liong directly sensed what was for us the most important issue: openness and creating a feeling of freedom so that the inside and outside of the house are blended into one. 123DV has completely succeeded in achieving the aimed result, without us losing any sense of privacy.’
‘The whole process together with Liong and his team, from the first meeting until the final design, was an amazing experience! We are really looking forward to building our 360 Villa.’
Life-changing
On a beautiful day in spring, I visited this family in their completed 360 Villa and stayed with them untill late in the evening. We brought up memories of how the design of their home started and developed into what it is now. We talked about the process of getting the design approved by the municipality and getting it built, just like we promised them. Meanwhile, they served a delicious sushi dinner. After dinner we walked through the garden and at a certain moment they said: ‘Do you realise you changed our lives for the better?’ These words were overwhelming to me and I felt that moments like these make all the hard work and effort to get things done worthwhile.
