- Project: W.I.N.D. House
- Architect: UNStudio
- Location: Netherlands, North Holland
- Year: 2014
- Area: 528 m2
- Photography: Fedde de Weert, Inga Powilleit
W.I.N.D. House by UNStudio
The W.I.N.D. House (an acronym for Welcome, Integrate, Navigate, Domesticate) by UNStudio is a visionary smart home located on the outskirts of a Dutch village in North Holland. Designed by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, the residence merges sustainable technology, home automation, and fluid architectural form to create a living environment that is both highly functional and intimately connected to its landscape.
Positioned between expansive polder views and a wooded backdrop, the house balances openness and privacy with a design that integrates glazing, curving facades, and sheltered terraces. It is as much a technological innovation as it is a poetic response to place.
Site and Orientation
The organization of the W.I.N.D. House is shaped directly by its surroundings. The front-facing living areas capture sweeping views of the Dutch polder landscape, while the rear sleeping and working spaces are oriented toward the woods, offering intimacy and protection.
Both the front and back are fully glazed, maximizing light and transparency, while closed wooden side walls frame the building, shielding it from neighboring structures and offering additional privacy.
Organic Form and Layout
The design concept suggests the shape of a flower in bloom, with each of the four facades curving inward to create petal-like wings. These recesses not only soften the form but also draw the landscape inward, enhancing the visual connection between indoors and outdoors.
At the heart of the house, a central open staircase serves as the circulation core, connecting multiple split levels. Each turn on the stair offers framed diagonal views across the house and out to the landscape, reinforcing the continuity of space.
Vertical Organization
The centrifugal split-level design distributes functions across different elevations:
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Ground/entrance level: basement services, storage, and carport.
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First level (rear): children’s bedrooms and a music room.
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First level (front, elevated): open-plan living, kitchen, and dining area with panoramic views.
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Second level (rear): master suite with hammam and a guest room.
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Roof terrace: spanning the two front wings, overlooking the polder landscape.
This vertical organization allows privacy, functional zoning, and landscape integration in one coherent design.
Smart Home Technology
The W.I.N.D. House is a smart residence equipped with a comprehensive home automation system. Centralized touchscreen controls manage solar panels, heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting, while decentralized and remote access devices allow per-room customization.
Sustainable strategies include:
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Solar panels on the rear roof.
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Air/water heat pump for heating and cooling.
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Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.
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Floor heating and cooling with room-specific control.
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Tinted coated glazing to reduce heat gain while maintaining daylight and privacy.
Together, these features enable energy efficiency and a healthy indoor climate.
Materials and Atmosphere
The home combines natural clay stucco, clay brick walls, and timber cladding. These materials regulate indoor humidity through evaporation, ensuring comfort and sustainability.
Externally, wooden slats wrap the façade and roof, shifting in rhythm to create shadow play and reveal subtle secondary openings. This texture enhances the house’s organic qualities, blending it into its green surroundings.
A Fusion of Technology and Nature
The W.I.N.D. House exemplifies UNStudio’s forward-thinking vision—an architecture that integrates advanced smart technologies, ecological design, and organic form. With its flower-like geometry, home automation systems, and deep integration with the Dutch landscape, it is a benchmark for sustainable living and architectural innovation in the 21st century.
