Vila Wilbrink

The houses created on the screens of Berkel's UN Studio are different. They do have windows, a roof, a bathroom, but they come with a new organization of space. It is likely that there is no architect on Earth who has dedicated himself more to the study of operational schemes and diagrams than Ben van Berkel. A classic example of new architectural recipes is the villa of the Wildbrink family. The fact that the client was willing to adopt slightly different rules of the game speaks to his enlightenment and immense friendliness towards the architect's efforts. It is more than joyful to discover that similar clients exist in the Czech Republic as well.
Wildbrink's villa does not have a conventional street facade. In the villa district of Dutch Amersfoort, it seems somewhat out of place, yet exciting. At first glance, you would hardly search for a comfortable family villa among a pile of gravel, but it is indeed the case. The only openings to the street are the garage entrance and a narrow passage leading to the central atrium. Even though the atrium is an open space, it feels very intimate and pleasant. Personally, I would describe it as a beautiful example of micro-urbanism. The individual rooms, like houses, surround the courtyard of the Wildbrink family. The most prominent feature in the atrium is the bathroom core, which was originally clad in wood, but is now covered in a shiny metal shell. Personally, I believe that this originally wooden element softened the cool industrial-stone atmosphere of the atrium, but as we could see with our own eyes, the Wildbrinks are not a conventional family and comfort represents immaterial aspects for them.
Vitruvius would probably only feel at home in the garden, where one can talk about a classic facade with windows that utilize the contrast between wood and rough stone cladding. The wonderfully planted trees harmonize excellently with the overall concept of the villa. The garden does offer a more welcoming environment for our compatriots. Wildbrink's villa prefers gravel, concrete, and metal over lawn. The interior, however, hides even greater surprises, where wooden paneling is used more than abundantly.
In retrospect, I see a certain parallel between the rough shell and the sensitive soul. It is hard to say where van Berkel found this motif, as the Wildbrinks are open and pleasant people, just like everyone in the Netherlands. To meet such an understanding and sensitive client at least once in a lifetime...