Femke van de Voort established Fem Architects just a year ago. But the Amsterdam-based practice has already created a confident and unapologetically tough looking take on the affordable family home. The Row House, built on the site of a former brick factory in the Klaprozenweg area of the city, is slim and muscular with a façade of ridged custom-made CorTen steel sheets. Rhythmic vertical recesses create striking shadows and, along with tall, deep-set windows, create a sense of looming but well-proportioned elevation.
The interior though is open, light-filled and smartly utilitarian. Designed as a live-work space, there are double height spaces at the front and rear of the house, one of which can be converted into a private office using steel and glass doors (all architects will now, of course, be considering similarly smart ways to create domestic work areas). There’ s more living space on a mezzanine level and bedrooms on the second floor.
The rear façade is softer but in impact but just as well executed a composition; two volumes in white stucco overlooking a patio garden and a loggia that will eventually lead to studio apartment. The plans also allow for the addition of a two-storey penthouse with its own entrance, designed to accommodate the client’s parents. Multi-generation capacity was a priority and a key concern for the client, as was sustainability, despite a strictly limited budget. The exterior timber-framed walls are filled with cellulose insulation and internal walls and floors have all been built using cross-laminated timber.
‘This was the first time I did a project of this size with my company,’ says van de Voort. ‘I was lucky to have a client who entrusted me with the very personal task of designing their dream home. And my dream commission isn’t about building type or scale. It’s about people. I love to work for ambitious clients, with high expectations on aesthetics and eco friendliness.’ §
