Coming upon “Bob Manders: Architecture and Its Interiors” a hefty and beautifully realized book showcasing a minimalist style in the modern Dutch tradition of innovation, is to catch up on the forward thinking and some of the best in architecture coming out of the Netherlands and Belgium.
Manders starts a project with light (a nod to 17th century Dutch masters) and uses the tangibility of materials – wood, mortar, and thatch for dimension and visual interest and the wide floor to ceiling windows allow for a seamless integration of the exterior/interior. His approach reflects a recent trend in architecture both in the US and abroad to combine light, landscape, and functionality from which structure is derived. Taking it a step further, Manders achieves an overall concept of “total architecture” by incorporating interiors, furniture, and landscape (the latter two designed by Manders) to produce a built environment affecting all the senses. The interiors adhere to a strict modernist sensibility where an open plan, minimal wall space, and furnishings with simple lines in muted colors do not distract from experiencing the sheer enjoyment of a meticulously landscaped outdoors.
The book lays out Manders’s beliefs with essays on the importance of synergy, thoughts on ecology, use of various materials, and background on building rules and regulations governing land use in the Netherlands with an interesting statistic – 80% is underdeveloped. There are drawings, sketches, and renderings of both residential and commercial projects. The focus is on residencies completed between 2006 to the present and identified by the informality of the clients’ first names along with a narrative on their working relationship and project goals. Written in English, Dutch, and Spanish, the language is spare, but the photographs say it all.
Many of these houses are marked by common architectural elements – slanting roofs, wooden screens, and cantilevered balconies that ensure privacy from prying eyes. The real star feature, however, is how he frames a tree (Manders gives it primary importance) and the lush green shrubs and plantings as not to compete, but to coexist with a house allowing the physical attributes and inherent spirituality of the outdoors to provide its inhabitants a sense of tranquility and beauty.
“Bob Manders: Architecture and Its Interiors” can be purchased for $125.00 @ Potterton Books, http://www.pottertonbooksusa.com/, (212) 644-2292. For information on Bob Manders, go to http://www.bobmanders.nl/
Light, reflection creates multi-dimensional space. From the top: the transparency of the enclosed glass, a bridge to a recreational loft, filters in a stream of light for “shadow play” along the wall and stairs;” a shuttered window appears as a window within a window; and at the ground floor glimpses of the outer area as seen through the floor to ceiling glass.
Two long garden walls combined with a wing on the right transform the composition of the house from one of isolation to become integrated into its surroundings. The entrance’s elongated glass façade is an accent in harmony with the vertical tree.
Layer upon layer best describes the unobstructed bird’s eye view from front to back. Peering in through the outer wall’s opening into a picture perfect window brings the lush scenery in the back garden into focus.
A renovated traditional Dutch house original structure is clad in brick with an interesting mix of materials for the gabled roof. Wrap around windows on one of the additions offer charming views of the garden’s whimsical oversized potted plants.
Seeing double is a dramatic visual trick of the narrow reflecting pool installed along the side of the house. Screens made from Livium an aluminum material commonly used for outdoor products neatly cross a window to dazzling effect. For information on Livium go to http://www.livium.nl/
Garden walls ensure privacy and lower street level noise while an inside wall separates the office from private quarters. The inverted right angle brick clad exterior devoid of any details is the most contemporary house featured.
