This scheme for a private residence seeks to demonstrate how the desire for life amidst nature can be expressed in architecture. The site is part of a ribbon of houses, built in the 1930's, along the Kalfjeslaan in Amstelveen. The HM-House finds itself at the very end of this ensemble, right on the edge of the woods of the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest). 

The commission started with a study on creating more floorspace yet keeping the existing building. The client wanted to add more 'living quality' and comfort in a typical 1930's house. After extensive studies and contact with the municipality on the zoning plan, we found it impossible to add the desired quality without deforming the characteristics of the house. 

The choice was made to investigate the possibility of a new house. The zoning plan offered more possibilites in terms of space if the existing house were to be demolished. Rather than introducing a new, radical plan or building a new house in a historical manner we decided to let the woods take over the plot. 

The design takes maximum advantage of the leafy setting. By using natural foliage to form architectural elements, the house nestles itself almost invisibly. A high beech hedge follows the edges of the site and forms the outermost contour of the built environment. In this way, the maximum use is made of the available space. The hedge ensures the best privacy for the residents by way of a natural barrier, encircling the entire house, broken only once: in order to provide access. 

The house is conceived as a glass box within the hedged yard, set down in the middle of the site. Transparent façades across the living room adjoin the garden and create the impression of a single continuous space. This is most effective in Summer, when the operable glazed façade is recessed and so the ‘open-air interior’ merges with the open air to form one space. 

The upper floors house the sleeping quarters and bathrooms, likewise bordered by the hedge. An autumnal shade of orange wraps the upper façade so that it conforms to the adjacent properties’ ceramic pitched roofs.