VILLA I20, made with glass and carbonized wood

We wanted to create a new family home on a steep site using the former house’s footprint and boundaries while preserving the existing wooden terraces. By using the old house’s placement we’re able to minimize the need for further excavation on the difficult site, saving the existing landscape and preserving the vegetation and trees. The only intervention to the site is the excavation of the guest house. The existing house consists of two floors below street level. We add an additional floor to reach the street level, adding a garage and an elevator that reaches the other two floors. This is necessary for accessibility due to the site’s steep topography. The main material is glass and carbonized “Accoya”, wood processed with the Japanese method of “Shou-Sugi-Ban”. This process ensures that the wood is protected from rain, rot and pests. The woods colour, ranging from dark grey to black, blends seamlessly into the surrounding forest while the large panoramic windows on the main façade (the northeast) reflect its surroundings, almost seemingly multiplying the forest while letting nature and the breath-taking view of the sea into the interior. The lateral façades and the façade facing the street are almost totally cladded in wood while the northeast façade consists of large panoramic windows, capturing the views whilst being the most private side of the house, connecting to the outside terraces. The guesthouse is dug into the hill and the roof follows the sites topography. Grass will grow on top the roof and blend the house into the landscape’s vegetation. When arriving at the villa, the visitor will face the most private of facades. The Second floor, or the street level floor, consists of a garage, a storage room for bikes, laundry, a lounge and the private quarters. Here one finds the master bedroom together with a walk-in closet and a master bath. A large surrounding balcony connects the master bedroom with the lounge while offering a spectacular view at 72 m above the sea. One floor below, consists of a large terrace, the two-bedroom guest house and main living room. The living room is connected to the dining area and kitchen a floor below through a central void, offering double ceiling height at ground floor. The ground floor connects to the largest of the terraces and consists of the kitchen, a wine cellar, dining area, gym, sauna and storage. The infinity pool reaches towards the sea, shooting out of the hillside.