Ypenburg Watervillas

The borders of Dutch lakes are more and more colonized with private properties. They reduce public accessibility of the lake shores. In the Deelplan 10 area in Ypenburg, as part of MVRDV's master plan, a series of watervillas was positioned at the ends of the piers, peeking into a communal lake. MVRDV designed the four villas as single-storey units, with a roof deck on top, they can be glued together. This wooden amalgam can be lifted up to 12 metres high, allowing a water space underneath with private water decks, a parking lot, a dock for private boats, and a communal bench overlooking the lake, all positioned on wooden decks within the reed. The owners can jump from the sky deck through the house and down to the private part of the lake. Two elevator and stair cores allow this lifting act. A balancing figure appears (text from architect's website).