Located at the edge of the National Park Veluwezoom nature reserve in the Dutch town of Velp, the Patio House was formerly a rundown 1950s villa. Just this year, Bloot Architecture successfully refurbished and expanded the building into an inviting, spacious new residence.

The architects limited the use of partition walls and added larger windows and passage ways to create better connectivity between the different spaces of the home and to allow natural light to filter in. As a zero-energy building, the house has solar panels on its roof to provide energy for heating and electricity, eliminating the use of gas. 

The architects also added a new concrete extension with a patio. “The concrete beam in the façade of the original house still defines the characteristics of the villa. Parallel with this beam is the underside of the plant-covered concrete roof of the new addition. The original concrete beam is only 2.3 meters high (from the floor to the underside of the beam).” To create more height, the new addition was partly built into the ground and is sunken at the garden level, therefore blending more naturally with its surroundings, Bloot Architecture says.

Furnished with a pared down aesthetic, “the [home's] split level provides playfulness; you can sit on the low concrete wall of the extension partly in the garden and partly inside the house. They also provide a subtle distinction between the different spaces,” the architects continue.

More photos in the gallery below.