Villas kleine Rieteiland

In lake IJsselmeer, to the east of Amsterdam, an urban development design was developed on an artificial archipelago: IJburg. The plan is divided into a number of islands, each planned out by a different architect. OZ are the supervising architects on the Kleine Rieteiland and are responsible for the design of 8 out of the projected 140 villas. Kleine Rieteiland is a test case for the principles of the urban plan. The design attempts to convert the programmatical and spatial potential of the urban development plan into a specific architectonic experience without thereby fixing the possibilities for interpretation for the rest of the island.

The 8 villas consist of three floors, each with its own specific spatial characteristics. The ground level has been distilled into an introverted and personal space. Two patios have been cut from the volume: one for the car and one for the terrace. The ground level has been divided into two areas. One large space, contains the kitchen, dining, and living areas; this stretches out across the full length of the villa. The other contains a series of large rooms and a patio. A staircase connects the ground level with a ‘glass’ room on the first floor, while the sunroom, in the middle of a grass roof, offers views over the water and the Diemerpark. Another introverted volume, located above the glass space rests a closed volume, withdraws from the rest of the house: its round window gives one a view of the park and the famous Dutch skies.