What are the qualities that make a house truly modern? This question is at the heart of New Manor, completed in 2004, and underpins the tensions that give the design its character. 💡⁠ ⁠ Planning regulations required the house to follow the hallmarks of the Vecht region, using the classic silhouette of the neighbouring 17th-century country houses built as out-of-town residences for rich Amsterdam merchants. This condition implies a "cage" within which the design options are contained.⁠ ⁠ Within the cage, each of the programmed components is expressed as an individual block, placed or suspended within the given volume. The stacking of these blocks creates an intriguing, meandering in-between space. This is the social space of the house, connecting all the rooms while also separating them both physically and acoustically.⁠ ⁠ Staircases are "carved" out of the blocks so that they are visible and occupy as little space as possible. Wooden footbridges communicate between the blocks. The blocks have varying façade finishes that make them individually identifiable: stone, stucco, brickwork, and slate, a combination of materials that echoes other houses in the region. Swipe to see more!⁠ ⁠ 📸 @robthartfot⁠ ⁠ #mvrdv #architecture #netherlands #house #home #manor #ModernDesign