Merry go Round / Ira Koers

Oct 2009

Uploaded by Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses ,Selected , Ira Koers, The Netherlands

▼

Add this to My Bookmarks:

share by email

share by email

Architects: Bureau Ira Koers
Location: Bungalowpark Lanka, Anholt 11, Ruinen, The Netherlands
Client: Stichting Arthouses
Program: Rentable holiday home on the Dutch heath
Contractor: Bouwbedrijf Geerts
Engineers: Kr8 architecten
Constructed area: 55 sqm
Budget: $100,000 Euro
Project year: 2005-2009
Photographs: Bureau Ira Koers

Although ideas about recreation and the design of the landscape have changed over the years, the typology of the holiday cottage has hardly altered at all. Ever since the recreational outing of several days or more came into vogue in the sixties, we have seen the same mini-version of the standard home. Whereas the confined space of a boat or caravan has led to clever design solutions, the country cottage has never developed an identity of its own.

The design of the Merry-Go-Round gives new meaning to the holiday cottage by taking the traditional floor plan with its rooms opening onto a central hallway and turning it inside out. The rooms are replaced by eight open alcoves in which furniture, colour, light, material, lines of sight and views of the outdoor surroundings are bundled into one compact, fixed interior. The alcoves are connected by a corridor that runs all around the perimeter of the dwelling and opens onto the landscape. By adjusting the façade, which is comprised of shutters, the vacationing residents of the Merry-Go-Round can determine the view and their privacy themselves.

: floor plan

: elevations

: sections

: axo

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Merry go Round / Ira Koers" 15 Oct 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 07 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/37868>

Comments (11)
Tweets (16)
Links to this entry (3)

aussireg says:

Delightful project. The experience of the landscape can be modulated by the exterior shutters, and likewise it is an experience in the landscape. The coloration mimics its surroundings.
The plan exhibits great use of space.
All for 100K! Amazing, can I have one please.

# October 15, 2009 at 09:40

MBugs says:

I’m in love! Beautiful project.

# October 15, 2009 at 10:43

{ kat } says:

i really love the overall concept of this project. the aesthetic of the interior doesn’t match my personal preferences, but i admire the way the layout of the house interacts with the exterior landscape, and also with the surrounding rooms through little windows.

it is sort of a voyeuristic peep show for everyone, in a good way ;)

# October 15, 2009 at 11:54

Goldschmidt R says:

Mda, daca tot a inceptut cam toata lumea sa vorbeasca in propria limba, atunci o fac si eu. Imi place foarte mult proiectul, are scanteia necesara.
And now in english: I thought that, almost everybody wrote in theri language , than I will do it. I really love this project, it has that sparck

# October 15, 2009 at 13:08

anavic says:

I agree with kat, the layout is a little bit strange, but the whole project and the main idea is genious! I’d love to have this little cottage to disconnect from the city a few days each month.

well done ;)

ana

# October 15, 2009 at 14:48

I’d like to add that although the layout isn’t as comfortable as we all are accostumed to, everything is in the place it’s meant to be, with these 55 sqm it seems like impossible to change anything from it’s place.

Again, well done!

# October 15, 2009 at 14:52

Zé says:

Ha, it’s the Star Wars stormtrooper’s house

hehe, jokes apart
Interesting concept, I like the interaction with the exterior achieved with this multiple openings,
about the layout I couldn’t imagine myself using it, but I always like to see spacial experiments.

# October 15, 2009 at 19:28

nindya says:

nice.but the view can be optimized more.

# October 16, 2009 at 00:31

C.P.T.L. says:

The layout brings to mind my objection to square or rectangular living room tables, in particular those with corner legs. Whenever one comes and goes from the couch, and that is often, one must negotiate the corner of the table and table leg.

It is a constant and unnecessary obstacle entirely within one’s power to foresee and avoid by choosing a table with rounded corners and table legs set in from the perimeter.

In the case of the cottage layout, it is plain that the occupants with be walking the outer corridor often, repeatedly going around the corners.

It might not be feasible to round off the corners in this structure; it is rather small and rounding off corners steals area from rooms.

Perhaps this type of cottage would be a bit less awkward if it were round or oval, though doing so would make it difficult to match the 100,000 Euro figure of this one.

Or to keep things simple and closer to the cost of this one, the corridor might be made a bit wider, which costs in area of material, but requires no more engineering.

# October 16, 2009 at 09:24

Alex says: