01 · Challenge
Green surroundings with strict aesthetic review requirements
An entrepreneur working from home in Hilversum wanted a detached garden office so that work and living remained separated. The plot was in a villa district with a high aesthetic review classification. The municipality of Hilversum has specific requirements for such areas regarding roof forms, facade materials and colour use. A modern box structure did not fit. The outbuilding had to connect architecturally to the rich style of the 1950s villa without becoming a simple copy.
02 · Our approach
Architecture that fits the villa district
We designed an outbuilding with a hipped roof, facade work in a flint-like masonry finish and a Douglas fir veranda. The proportions and roof pitches were aligned with the villa and with the aesthetic policy of the municipality of Hilversum. We consulted informally with the aesthetics committee in advance about the choice of materials. The structure was calculated for the relatively heavy roof construction with overhang. We submitted the building permit application with a complete visualisation sheet for the aesthetic review.
03 · Result
Garden office that could always have been there
The aesthetic review committee approved the design in a single round. The permit was granted within 9 weeks. The 18 m² garden office has a 4 m² veranda that serves as an outdoor workspace in good weather. The owner now also receives clients there: the office has its own entrance and looks like a fully fledged structure. Passers-by think it is an original outbuilding of the villa. That is precisely the goal of architecture that fits its location.