The Green Villa designed by MVRDV and Van Boven Architecten is a corner residential building covered in plants

Fact File
Project Name: Green Villa
Location: Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands
Client: Van Boven Architecten
Size and Program: 350m2 office, 1050m2 housing, 1400m2 total
Architect: MVRDV
Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas Partner/Director: Gideon Maasland
Design Team: Gijs Rikken, Karolina Szóstkiewicz, Daan Zandbergen
Visualisations: Antonio Luca Coco, Pavlos Ventouris
Images: ©MVRDV
Copyright: MVRDV 2018 – (Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries)

Environmentally Progressive - The Green Villa

Located on a corner lot next to the Dommel river in the Dutch village of Sint-Michielsgestel, the design uses a gridded “rack” system to cover the building’s entire exterior in a variety of plants. The four-storey villa adopts the urban form of the neighbouring buildings, while the plant covering helps it blend into the bucolic landscape of the nearby river, fields and trees. Containing a new office space on the ground floor, five apartments on three floors above, and underground parking, the project is being developed by Van Boven Architecten, who wanted to create a landmark project for the village while also being socially conscious and environmentally progressive.

The design continues the formation of the street frontage, adopting the mansard roof shape of the previously constructed buildings. However, the Green Villa diverges drastically from the other buildings on the street in its materiality; a “rack” of shelves, of varying depths, hosts an abundance of potted plants, bushes, and trees such as forsythias, jasmine, pine, and birch. This approach stems from MVRDV’s belief that sustainability implies not only a technological challenge, but also a positive change in lifestyle, with urban areas considered as a part of the natural landscape.

Environmentally Progressive - The Green Villa

“This design is a continuation of our research into ‘facade-less’ buildings and radical greening,” explains Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV. “The idea from the nineties of city parks as an oasis in the city is too limited. We need a radical ‘green dip’; we should also cover roofs and high-rise facades with greenery. Plants and trees can help us to offset CO2 emissions, cool our cities, and promote biodiversity.”

The structure of the Green Villa is based on a square grid four bays wide and three bays deep. MVRDV developed a catalogue of varying space modules, such as bedrooms and living spaces, to place within the grid. A similar catalogue is used to populate the façade, resulting in a 3-D arboretum, a plant and tree library, complete with nameplates and additional information. The plant species are selected and placed with consideration of the façade orientation and the living functions behind, providing either privacy, shade, or views as required. A sensor-controlled irrigation system that uses stored rainwater has been incorporated into the planters, guaranteeing a year-round green facade.

Environmentally Progressive - The Green Villa

The Green Villa was designed by MVRDV and Van Boven Architecten, with Van Boven Architecten also acting as the project’s developer. Real estate developer Stein will be the occupant of the building’s office space and has also taken on a role assisting the project. Construction is scheduled to start in 2020.