10
11
Kettal has replicated the design by Dion and Richard
Neutra, while updating the materials and construction
techniques. All the structural details, as defined by its
creators, have been adhered to.
“This house — in its free relation to the ground, the
trees, the sea — with constant proximity to the whole
vast order of nature, acts as a re-orientator and ‘shock
absorber’ and should provide the needed relaxations
from the complications arising from daily problems.”
The most outstanding morphological traits are:
1
Predominantly horizontal lines, emphasised by the
wooden strips running across the structure, protruding
500 mm at the ends. Richard Neutra himself referred to
them in various texts, as:
“Traditional Japanese architecture is horizontal;
space is exclusively horizontal. Without a defined
centre or axis, it extends as an aggregate of rooms
of equal value, none of which is complete except
in relation to the others. The space is flexible and
transferable, without a fixed function. The use of
the rooms varies over the course of the day and
throughout the year.”
2
The columns are set back 100 mm to give full
prominence to the roof. In addition, the columns are
understated and the roof is slightly oversized. In spite
of its formal strength, to some extent it seems as if the
roof is floating lightly over the shell of the house.
3
The characteristic chimney on the roof has been
maintained, which houses the light sensors, air-
conditioning unit and a small weather station. The
technology used by the architect in this project is
still quite astonishing even today, evidenced by the
complex electrical installation, the special lighting
systems, the telephone installation, the projectors, the
electric stoves, the radio, the signage system and the
temperature control device. This whole technological
deployment has been updated with the development
of a specific smart system to control everything in the
house: air-conditioning, central heating, lighting, etc.
4
The trellis structure continues beyond the roof to
create an open space that can be used for different
activities, while at the same time, accentuating the
horizontal nature of the building.
VDL Research House
Living 2022
