Vacation home on the island of Texel by Benthem Crouwel

The island of Texel in northern Holland is one of the popular places where tourists come mainly for natural beauty. The island, which covers an area of 169 km², is home to 15,000 permanent residents, but more than 300 different species of birds (and seals) nest in the local reserves. Into this picturesque scenery, Amsterdam architect Mels Crouwel has placed a small holiday house. His design tries to mimic traditional buildings, which are nicknamed “sheep pens.” These consist of small solitary structures scattered throughout the landscape, belonging to local farmers. A half-hipped roof is also characteristic of this type of building. In contrast to agricultural buildings, which almost lack windows, the holiday house opens up to the surroundings with a series of large-format windows arranged in the walls and on the roof. The placement of the windows is based on the optimal view of the landscape - “the living kitchen offers a panoramic view of the open landscape, the upper gallery has a view of the distant sand dunes by the sea, and the bedroom opens to an endless sky”. On the ground floor, there is a living kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom with a toilet. The upper open gallery provides additional sleeping space and a study.
The load-bearing wooden structure is clad externally with roofing felt and is additionally covered with colorful fishing nets. The nets are stretched in two layers and differ in color. The color of the nets hints at the internal spatial division and functionality of the individual rooms. According to the authors, “their house emerged from the genius loci, becoming part of the surrounding nature, and conversely, nature was pulled directly into the house.”