Villa in the Schoorl dunes

A sustainable compact home seamlessly integrated to a mossy naturescape and rolling dunes

Villa in the Schoorl dunes

Location Schoorl dunes

Client Schouten family

Size 150sqm

Timing 2024

Commission Sustainable compact villa

Challenge Disappear between the trees

Process Legal procedures, architecture, interior, landscaping

The Challenge

An escape to nature. How do you enjoy the peace and quiet of the dune landscape in Schoorl without interrupting it? Apto Architects was assigned this very task. Our solution, mold the structure to the landscape, and make it disappear between the trees.

This compact villa has been seamlessly integrated into the forest line that surrounds the ever-present rolling dunes. Located within a nature reserve, Villa Schouten was created within the framework of a sustainable and unobtrusive design.

Form follows nature

A notable component of this project was the conversion of this property’s zoning from commercial(restaurant) to residential. Apto Architects worked closely with the local municipality to comprehensively meet the requirements of the rezoning.

At Apto we believe that all problems require an innovative solution, reimagining how designs, construct and live in our spaces. With Villa Schouten it was no different, a tiered split-level design approach embeds this home in the landscape, anchoring it into the dune slopes in a subtle manner.

The subterranean and holistic approach of Villa Schouten has not gone unnoticed by neighbors and frequent visitors of the windswept surroundings. Passersby remark on its modest and understated street view from afar, only to reveal a profoundly contemporary and comfortable home up close.

Lost in the leaves

The external bamboo façade, contrasts with the green brick base blending harmoniously with the mossy low-lying vegetation. The surrounding environmental design holds just as much saliency as that within the home. A priority within the design layout was to preserve the existing environment and biodiversity as much as possible. In addition to this over 2000 different species of native vegetation has been planted around the villa, immersing this structure within a heart of greenery.

Making a space habitable not only for people but also for the surrounding flora and fauna is a core principle of Apto Architects ethos. This property highlights how such a duality can be imagined and realized.

Light.

The consolidated nature of this construction has a compact footprint whilst still creating a spacious atmosphere within. The home is divided in several dimensions, primarily being the residential and the communal. As a home it has places to come together on every floor with private residential and guest rooms lying adjacent.

The jewel in the crown of this home is the unmissable vista, striking all those who first enter the home. The notable glass wall that straddles the living room acts as a gate welcoming the dense surrounding nature into the home. Windows play a prominent role in the design of Villa Schouten, bringing light in as well as the picturesque visions of the outside landscape.

Making a home

The interior of the home is splashed with a palette of bright pastel creams paired with a variety of natural light toned exposed woods. Timber ceilings and a polished concrete floor compose the space as a clean and bright one.

From A to Z

From beginning to end Apto Architects has carefully tailored every step of the design process to turn the vision of this home into a reality. Not only creating a warm and welcoming home for those who live within it, but also complimenting the patchwork of forested residential areas and the rolling dunes that surround it.

Villa in the Schoorl dunes