The House in the Dunes uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) for a modest yet expressive vacation home on the dunes of Terschelling, one of the Wadden Islands in the Netherlands. The home’s asymmetrical roof gives away its modern design, while other elements suit the nearby beach landscape. Inside, House in the Dunes has a large main floor with two bedrooms, one bathroom and storage space. This floor is set back from the lower ground floor to create a terrace on the west side of the house.

The house stacks a main floor with large windows on top of a concrete base and tops it all off with a timber roof. Mostly prefabricated off-site, the project sought to limit its environmental impact on-site during construction. Even elements of the pigmented concrete base were cast in the factory.

Related: Solar-powered Villa H is a modern glass-fronted home in the Dutch dunes

CLT makes up the ground floor and roof, making House in the Dunes Terschelling’s first CLT construction. The roof is clad with board and batten Accoya planks. “Combining these different elements results in an exterior with a variety of subtle rhythms and textures,” the designers said. The muted color palette matches the beach sand around the home. “As the the Iroko window frames and Accoya roof planks age, the building will slowly turn grey and blend further into the landscape,” the designers added.

The interior spaces are heated and cooled by a ground-source heat pump, and ventilation grills integrated into the timber window frames provide natural ventilation. The timber roof’s overhang protects the building from too much sun in the summer, and removable timber sunscreens can move to create shadows or privacy as needed.

Unknown Architects designed this unique home, and Adviesbureau VanderWeele served as the project’s climate consultant. Founded by Daan Vulkers and Keimpke Zigterman, Unknown Architects focuses on carefully crafted small projects for private, creative and commercial clients. The firm has also moved into furniture design with a recent grant from the Creative Industries Fund NL. Unknown Architects will use this grant to test ideas at a small scale before moving them into full-scale architectural projects.

Images via MWA Hart Nibbrig

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The House in the Dunes uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) for a modest yet expressive vacation home on the dunes of Terschelling, one of the Wadden Islands in the Netherlands.

The home's asymmetrical roof gives away its modern design, while other elements suit the nearby beach landscape.

The house stacks a main floor with large windows on top of a concrete base and tops it all off with a timber roof.

Mostly prefabricated off-site, the project sought to limit its environmental impact on-site during construction.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) makes up the ground floor and roof, making House in the Dunes Terschelling's first CLT construction.

The interior spaces are heated and cooled by a ground-source heat pump, and ventilation grills integrated into the timber window frames provide natural ventilation.

The timber roof's overhang protects the building from too much sun in the summer, and removable timber sunscreens can move to create shadows or privacy as needed.