On 7 February 2014 in Frankfurt am Main at the Ambiente 2014 it was announced that the project SPLIT VIEW received a Special Mention prize at the International German Design Award 2014. 

This project is located in the city of Helmond at the cross points of roads.

The spatial concept of the architect, the reaction to the surrounding and the living program wishes of the client for a private house resulted into a free standing split-level house.

The house has an interesting spatial concept, material and detailing. Every side of this building has its own architectural language and on the inside of the house all the 5 different levels are in open spatial connection with each other. The open terrace on the backside of the house and the sun terrace are part of these levels. It  is based on the concept of open living level and is organised like the leaves of a tree. The wooden staircase connects the different open levels.   

The house was completed in January 2012 and it had already caught the attention in different architecture books and magazines in Asia. Now this architectural appreciation and prize was also given in Germany.

UArchitects was the only Dutch architecture office which was preselected to receive this international prize by an international well-known jury in Germany.

Villa R - Split view

The site next to the junction Kromme Haagdijk - Voortse Akkerweg in Helmond and the wishes of the client for a spatial private house resulted into a split-level house.The family wanted to build this house because of a change of their living situation and they wanted to express this in their new house. The two children wanted to have their own living surrounding. On the other hand the parents also wanted to have more private zones but stay in close contact with their children. 

Villa R – Split view – memory

The memory of the users of a traditional house is at its best in traditional enclosed spaces according to writer Joshua Foer. The theme he describes is as followed: if the person leaves the space where he has learned or read the thought is easily forgotten by leaving the closed space and when the person returns to the same space, then he remembers again the thought in question. Our mind/memory is categorized in rooms/spaces.

Villa R – Split view – connections

This house will be an interesting thought and behaviour experiment because here are various crossover and open connections between different spaces . We question ourselves which effect this split view house will have on the mind and the remembering of facts and thoughts of the users of this house?

Villa R – Split view – context

The house stands at the cross point of two roads . We proposed to lift the house up from their surrounding and to mark the different floors levels with steel beams. The light color of the façade and the elevated floors create a light appearance of the private house.

Villa R – Split view - entrance

The family wanted also a house which is floated with light, which is experienced each season in a different way.

Villa R – Split view - light

The staircase connects the several levels of the house.

Villa R – Split view – night view

From the outside this house gives a readable split level. A glimpse of the various functions of the house can be seen at different corners from outside and inside the house. Each side of the house is reacting in his own peculiar way, one time closed and the other time open, sometimes friendly and the other time hard-minded, sometimes unanswered and the other time it lights up and shows the inside. 

Project Facts

Project : Split View  (Villa R)

Location: Voorste Akkerweg 25706 PV Helmond, The Netherlands

Client: Family van Renterghem

Architect: UArchitects, founders and owners:Misak Terzibasiyan and Emile van Vugt

Photography: Daan Dijkmeijer

For more information,please visit the website

> via UArchitects