compact holiday home by orange architects on texel island, netherlands

off the coast of the netherlands on the picturesque island of texel, holiday home by orange architects provides the coziest of escapes. in a tiny villa where spaces are divided according to use and not physical walls, breaking from routine is almost literally designed. fluid and open by day, private and hidden by night, holiday home evokes a very spacious feeling within a compact volume. from bedroom skylights to rotating panels and hidden showers, the house inspires an exploration of architecture and nature.

all images courtesy of orange architects
photographs by sebastian van damme

within only a ten-minute walk from the north sea, holiday home by rotterdam based orange architects fully integrates into its natural surroundings. as the connection towards the outdoors is optimized, interior spaces are maximized where multiple functions are accommodated in each room. solid but sculptural, small yet flexible, the residence hosts a play of light and materialization as the rays of the dutch sun peak through the birch paneling and moveable lamellas. the effect enhances the well-proportioned spaces defined by the outer black wooden shell.

through timber framed windows reaching 5 meters in height the interior is revealed. although compact, the holiday home does what it should. the open plan developed to fit a library, a dining table, a kitchen and a living room breaks by night as the wooden panels in the hall turn 90 degrees separating the different rooms: the bed becomes a full-size bedroom, while the hidden shower and sink become an en-suite bathroom. as the indoors transforms the house adjusts; the moving lamellas on the terrace can be modified for those windy days while the veranda offers cooling shade even when too sunny.

the poetic house is also adapted around multiple sustainable solutions. the all-electric project gives cooking, water and heating fossil fuel free use, while solar energy is gained by the almost invisible panels on the roof. moreover, the timber structure and concrete floor act together as a thermal mass, improved by the insulated façades, windows and roof. pre-fabricated before transported on the island, the warm and irregular design is the holiday home one needs.

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project info:

name: holiday home

architect: orange architects

site: de koog, texel, the netherlands

year:2021

area: 70sqm

design team: patrick meijers, jeroen schipper, elena staskute, paul kierkels, eric eisma, panagiotis seltsiotis

photography: sebastian van damme