UNStudio

VilLA NM is a family summerhouse situated in a hilly and woody area, some two hours drive from NYC. This area of up-state New York used to be a destination for the elite during the twenties and thirties and became world famous during the summer of ‘69 with the Woodstock festival. In subsequent years the area suffered a decline in popularity, but now more thirty years on the area once again open for new developments and is regaining its popularity amongst the younger people of NYC who like to escape the bustle of the big city.The house is situated on a plot of 7000m² with a tremendous 360º view of the forests and meadows. The sloping site is used as device for the programmatic and volumetric organization of the house. A single box-like volume bifurcates into two separate volumes; one seamlessly following the Northern slope; the other lifted above the hill creating a covered parking and generating a split-level internal organization.The volumetric transition is generated by a set of five parallel walls that rotate along a horizontal axis from vertical to horizontal. The walls become floor and vice versa. The ruled surface maintaining this transition is repeated five times in the building. Standardizing and pre-fabricating of this structural element lowered the building costs without reducing the spatial quality of the interior. The interior space also takes advantage of the split-level organization. The kitchen and dining area on the ground floor are connected by a ramp to the living space above, the 1.5-meter height change allowing for a tremendous view over the valley. A similar ramp connects the living area to the master and the children’s bedrooms on the second floor.All the functional facilities such as the bathroom, kitchen and fireplace are situated in the vertical axis of the house. This organization allows the freeing up of the outer walls. Rooms that require a higher level of privacy are partly closed of to the exterior. All other rooms are provided with large glassed windows.The materialization of the design is a combination of concrete and glass with a light metal construction. The intelligent transformation of a geometric form and the standardization of the structural elements enabled the economical production of a highly individual building with strong spatial qualities.

UNStudio (formerly van Berkel & Bos) is a Dutch architectural practice specializing in architecture, urban development and infrastructural projects. The practice was founded in 1998 by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos. The name UNStudio stands for United Network, referring to the collaborative nature of the practice. The office comprises individuals from all over the world with backgrounds and technical training in numerous fields. UNStudio has an average work-force of 60 employees and a management team made up of two directors, one partner and two associates.
Based in Amsterdam, UNStudio has worked internationally since its inception and has produced a wide range of work ranging from public buildings, infrastructure, offices, living, products, to urban masterplans. Pivotal UNStudio projects within these fields include: the New Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart (2001-2006), the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam (1990-1996), the Office complex La Defense in Almere (1999-2004), the Möbius House in the Gooi area (1993-1998) and Theatre Agora in Lelystad (2002-2007)