Almere, The Netherlands

Project Size: 1,290 square feet

Program: Architect Johan Selbing and landscape architect Anouk Vogel conceived the Mirror House in 2006 as a winning entry in a competition to design experimental single-family houses for a new housing development. The brief for the competition, titled De Eenvoud ('simplicity'), called for designs with a strong relationship to the site. After winning the competition, the designers then had to find a client themselves, and construction began in 2012.

Location: The house is located in a clearing in the Noorderplassen-West forest outside Almere, a city east of Amsterdam known for experimental residential projects.

Solution: The facade of the single-story, steel-frame rectangular house is sheathed in mirrored glass, with bands of reflective aluminum composite trim running along the roof line and base. The entry, tucked away from the street on the north side, is indistinguishable from the rest of the facade'except for a door handle.

The compact interior, with a home office and open dining and living area on the north side and bedrooms on the south, is lined with birch multiplex panels, a warm contrast to the more severe glass exterior. Construction cost $344,000 and was completed in June 2013.

Architect:
Johan Selbing Architecture / Anouk Vogel landscape architecture
Nieuwpoortkade 2a
1055 RX Amsterdam
The Netherlands

People

Owner:
Van Dijk Family

Architect:
Johan Selbing Architecture / Anouk Vogel landscape architecture
Nieuwpoortkade 2a
1055 RX Amsterdam
The Netherlands

+31 (0)20 606 07 28
www.johanselbing.nl
info@johanselbing.nl

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Johan Selbing / Anouk Vogel

Engineer(s):
Structural:
Buro voor Bouwadvies BV, Dalfsen

Mechanical, Electric, and Plumbing:
Earth Energie Advies BV, Boskoop

General contractor:
Bouwbedrijf Jadi BV, Genemuiden | Slump Fictorie, Hoogeveen (fa'ade)

Photographer(s):
Jeroen Musch, Rotterdam
www.jeroenmusch.nl

 

Products

Structural system
Steel frame, sand-lime bricks

Exterior cladding
Metal/glass curtain wall:
Aluminum profiles, coated black; AGC 8mm glued toughened glass, mirroring

Rainscreen:
Dibond glued composite panel, mirroring

Moisture barrier:
Waterproofing membrane, black

Windows
Metal frame:
Alcoa aluminum profiles, coated black

Glazing
Glass:
AGC triple glazing, mirroring

Skylights:
BIK polycarbonate quad skin roof lights

Doors
Entrances:
Alcoa aluminum profiles, coated black; AGC structurally glued double glazing, mirroring

Sliding doors:
Alcoa aluminum profiles, coated black; AGC double glazing, mirroring

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork:
15mm birch multiplex with UV-protective coating, glued

Paints and stains:
Plastered ceilings

Lighting
Downlights:
Philips PowerLED SmartSpot