This house, designed for a mathematics teacher, is situated in a wooded subdivision on a plot of over 15 ares. It was positioned at the back to create space for a formally landscaped garden at the front, on the western side. It occupies a pure square of 16.50 x 16.50 m and appears externally, save for some intriguing details, as a pure cubic volume. But in reality, behind this calm, unassuming exterior lies a remarkable experiment in spatial dynamics. Within the square floor plan, the space is anything but square. Two opposite corners (northwest and southeast) are cut off from the square by two circular segments. Between these equal segments, which contain the kitchen and garage on one side and the bedrooms with bathroom on the other, the actual living space unfolds diagonally, from the dining area in the northeast corner to the living room in the southwest corner. The entrance is on the north side and provides access via a narrowing hallway to the center of the living space, that is, its rather narrow passage between the convex curves of the segments. From there, the living space unfolds centrifugally, with unusual dynamics. It’s as if the space between the two convex walls completely unfolds and is irresistibly pushed outward. And the center of gravity of both living spaces would undoubtedly have ended up outside the house’s periphery had the architect not slowed the thrust with some substantial obstacles. On its east side, the dining area is enclosed by a solid wall that connects to the bedroom segment, and the west side of the living room is partly occupied by a conversation pit, partly by an L-shaped wall that originally functioned as a play corner for the children, later as a workspace. In this way, several quiet, fixed spots were established that calm the spatial dynamics.
The clients approached Paul Neefs on the advice of Staf Verbeek, the former director of the Turnhout City Academy. ‘I can only recommend one person to you. He is a true artist.’ The contact was excellent from the start. The couple, who lived in an apartment with two small children, primarily wanted a spacious living room. Neefs said he had a concept in mind that would meet their needs and indicated that he would like to try it out. When he showed them the plan, they were immediately convinced. Even after he presented them with several alternatives, their preference remained with the first plan. They particularly appreciated the geometric precision with which he developed the project. And when it was completed, they were especially pleased with the result. They had their front garden designed by André Nuyens of Green Garden.
Neefs may have been inspired by the Sonsbeek Pavilion that Aldo van Eyck had created near Arnhem in 1966. It consisted of a complex arrangement of parallel and curved walls, embodying an interaction of straight and round, concave and convex, closed and open, which created varying spatial experiences from place to place. In the center of the pavilion, there was a confrontation of two large convex walls. Perhaps Neefs experienced there the spatial thrust that he subsequently wanted to try out in concrete form himself.
‘Architecture in the Golden Sixties – The Turnhout School, Lannoo Campus, 2012’.
