{"id":77456,"date":"2026-05-07T22:41:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T22:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/77456\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T22:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T22:41:38","slug":"a-gazillion-glass-blocks-balance-light-and-privacy-at-this-slender-prefab-home-in-amsterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/77456\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gazillion Glass Blocks Balance Light and Privacy at This Slender Prefab Home in Amsterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

The upright family residence is divided vertically by timber modules inserted into a steel frame.<\/p>\n

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Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Project Details:<\/p>\n

Location:\u00a0Centrumeiland, Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/p>\n

Architect: Studioninedots<\/a>\u00a0\/ @studioninedots<\/a><\/p>\n

Footprint: 2,766 square feet<\/p>\n

Builder: Romijn Bouw<\/a><\/p>\n

Structural Engineer: De Ingenieursgroep<\/a><\/p>\n

Lighting Design: Clemens Lichtadvies<\/a><\/p>\n

Photographer:\u00a0Sebastian van Damme<\/a>\u00a0\/ @svd_fotografie<\/a><\/p>\n

From the Architect: “A couple with two children, long rooted in Amsterdam, approached us with a simple yet generous request: design a home defined by connection between themselves and their children, while also interacting with the surrounding environment. From that single ambition, they entrusted us with an almost complete carte blanche.<\/p>\n

“The site sits on\u00a0Centrumeiland, a new Amsterdam neighborhood with strong sustainability ambitions and where a self-build culture drives individual expression and experiment. As such, we created Light House: a home made of playfully stacked boxes. Whereas a conventional house concentrates many program elements on the ground floor, we dedicated the family\u2019s important activities\u2014such as eating, gathering with friends, individual relaxing\u2014to its own \u2018box\u2019. Then, we arranged these boxes throughout the building envelope in a composition that appears playful yet is carefully considered, creating blocks that can be lived in not only inside, but also on top of and beneath them. As you move through the house, your usual sense of \u2018above\u2019 and \u2018below\u2019 begins to dissolve.<\/p>\n

“The layout is designed to grow with the family\u2019s life. The boxes are meant to spread the key activities in a more engaging way throughout the house, yet they remain open to reinterpretation over time.<\/p>\n

“A surprisingly sheltered volume floats above the kitchen area, functioning as a retreat for reading, practicing yoga, watching a film, or relaxing alone. Climbing 46 feet to the top floor, we designed the extroverted \u2018holiday home\u2019 as the family\u2019s special gathering space. This tall room has ceiling-high arched windows on either side, opening onto an outdoor terrace with sweeping views across the IJmeer lake.\u00a0The lower half of the house lies behind a wall of square glass blocks. The blocks filter daylight deep into the house while distorting views, allowing life inside to be perceived from the street, yet abstractly enough to ensure the residents\u2019 feeling of enclosure.\u00a0This square rhythm continues in the steel grating elements along the rear facade, giving the house a clear and cohesive identity. Industrial materials in shades of gray create a play of textures, giving the exterior an abstract yet fluid presence as light moves through the day.<\/p>\n

“Structurally, Light House is built as a lightweight system: a steel frame filled with prefabricated timber elements. This modular, circular approach allows flexibility, ease of disassembly, and longterm sustainability. Like all plots on Centrumeiland, Light House manages water on-site, meeting the island\u2019s sustainability ambitions.”<\/p>\n

\"<p>Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Sebastian van Damme<\/p>\n

\"<p>Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Sebastian van Damme<\/p>\n

\"<p>Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Sebastian van Damme<\/p>\n

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Gazillion Glass Blocks Balance Light and Privacy at This Slender Prefab Home in Amsterdam<\/a>
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