Dezeen Magazine

Open Park Villa by i29

Open Park Villa by i29 encourages residents to connect with surroundings

Dutch architecture studio i29 has nestled a bamboo-clad house among trees in Limburg, the Netherlands, aiming to connect its residents to the surrounding woodland.

Named Open Park Villa, the home offers multiple views of the outdoors, with extended sightlines running through the building.

Bamboo-clad exterior of Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa is a house in Limburg by i29

According to i29, this design responds to the basis of the client's brief, which asked the studio to create a home that embraced the surrounding greenery.

"The client wanted to have a home which gives the feeling that the home is everywhere on the plot, but being present in a very honest way in relation to the green surroundings," the studio told Dezeen.

Geometric house with bamboo cladding
It is clad in bamboo and formed of five interconnected volumes

Open Park Villa is part of a wider development that has transformed the site of former military terrain into a green residential area, filled with 43 unique homes.

Clad in untreated bamboo, the house is defined by five interconnected orthogonal volumes placed around existing trees, each broken up by the large glass windows and doors.

Courtyard of Open Park Villa by i29
The home is arranged around a central courtyard

Inside it comprises a spacious ground floor with living areas and an open-plan kitchen diner arranged around a central courtyard, while three bedrooms occupy the first floor.

Dutch studio i29 orientated the volumes to ensure natural light can move through the interior of each one during different parts of the day.

Exterior of house in woodland in Limburg
Its plan is organised to maximise natural light

Each of Open Park Villa's living spaces is treated uniquely with different ceiling heights and finishes to create a diverse living experience. In the living area, this was achieved by sinking the room into the landscape, which i29 said creates a "surprisingly different atmosphere" from the rest of the house.

"Although it has an open connection with the kitchen, it feels like a completely different room with a different connection to the outside," said director Chris Collaris.

Interior of Open Park Villa by i29
The material palette is designed to blend with the natural surroundings

Throughout the home are bespoke details including built-in closets for internal storage and custom-made furniture for the outdoor dining area on the wood-decked patio.

Uncoloured bamboo is used as cladding inside and outside the building, with fastenings hidden behind the panels for a minimalist look.

This flush facade finish also helps the house blend in with its verdant surroundings, with the help of complimentary tones of sand-coloured cement flooring and stone, oak and fir detailing inside.

For the i29, this allowed it to achieve its goal of maintaining a connection to the outside, "even in the deepest point inside the home", it said.

White-walled living room with wooden ceiling
The living area has been lowered slightly into the landscape

While preserving the landscape, the positions of the orthogonal volumes between the trees also help to keep the Open Park Villa cool in the summer.

This natural cooling technique works in tandem with high-quality insulation and an air-source heat pump.

Corridor inside Open Park Villa by i29
Views of the outside are prioritised throughout

Founded by designers Jaspar Jansen and Jeroen Dellensen in 2002, i29 is a Dutch studio specialising in architecture and interior design.

Its other recent projects include a floating residence in Amsterdam and the renovation of a 17th-century canal house.

The photography is by Tim Van de Velde.

More images and plans

Ground floor plan of Open Park Villa by i29
Ground floor plan
First floor plan of Open Park Villa by i29
First floor plan
Section of Open Park Villa by i29
Section
Section of Open Park Villa by i29
Section
Section of Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29
Open Park Villa by i29