- Project: Marhûs – Lakehouse
- Architect: Lichtstad Architecten
- Location: Netherlands, Boornzwaag
- Year: 2025
- Area: 450 m2
- Photography: Bas Gijselhart | BASEphotography
At the water’s edge in Boornzwaag, Marhûs by Lichtstad Architecten reads as both sculpture and sanctuary. Its name merges the Frisian words “mar” (lake) and “hûs” (house), signaling a deep bond with the waterfront. Understated from the village approach yet commanding from the lake, the residence mediates between nature, craft, and light across five slender, elongated volumes that tune themselves to view, orientation, and use.
A Lakehouse Anchored in Craft, Context & Calm
Anchored by two small harbors, a reed-fringed quay, mature garden, and a long jetty, the house unfolds as a choreography of light, shadow, and reflection. From the village, its profile remains modest; from the lake, it opens with poised certainty—an architectural dialogue of presence and restraint.
Spatial Logic & Form
Enfilade sequences draw you progressively toward the water. A framed view at entry leads into the social core and onward to panoramic vistas across garden, harbors, and lake. From this center, the plan branches to guest rooms, elevated living spaces, the waterside terrace, and wellness or fitness wings. Volumes shift in length and height; rooflines flow subtly; façades are cut with rhythmic incisions that lend depth and light-play. Soft interior curves create gentle transitions rather than abrupt thresholds.
Materiality, Craft & Light
Constructed entirely in cross-laminated timber (CLT), Marhûs pairs structural clarity with warm sensory quality. The design nods to shipbuilding: roof curvatures echo hull lines and joinery is precise and expressive. Outside, untreated timber and zinc weather naturally, balancing texture and smoothness while modulating light. Linear slits filter daylight to cast elegant shadows across interior surfaces.
Sustainability & Systems
A green roof improves thermal comfort and softens the vertical profile; solar panels are integrated discreetly on higher flat roofs. The home targets energy-neutral performance with biobased and circular materials, a ground-source heat pump, breathable high-performance insulation, controlled façades for passive daylighting, and durable finishes that age gracefully—architecture and ecology working as one.
Experiential Themes & Living Atmosphere
Movement reveals new vistas and changing angles—interior, garden, and lake in constant exchange. Toward the water, volumes push outward; wings cantilever; covered terraces become thresholds of habitation. Street-side, the silhouette is respectful and modest, in tune with village grain. This dual personality—humble yet soaring—makes Marhûs a spatial journey rooted in context, craftsmanship, and the elemental life of light and water.
Plans & Sections
