You Won't Believe Your Eyes: Take a Look Inside the Breathtaking Monadnock Skyline Residence

The Atlas House in Eindhoven is an exceptional example of modern architecture that stands out for its unique design and strategic positioning. As an architectural marvel, the building appears as a compact tower that is rotated 45 degrees from the street and detached from the boundaries of its plot. This arrangement provides the perfect opportunity for striking vistas along the edges of the forest, visible from the interior of the house.

The square building is characterized by its corner windows that at times offer diagonal views through the volume. These windows are grouped around the corners, and their depth of façade openings showcases the same size and color of bricks both inside and outside. The interior of the house is raw and restrained, with a collection of rooms of varying heights and floor levels, each having its own specific window opening characteristics.

Although the exterior of the Atlas House offers no clues about the playful offsets of the internal spaces, the design offers a unique experience for visitors to explore. As an architectural journalist, the Atlas House is an impressive work of art that deserves recognition for its innovative design and flawless execution.

On this modest plot size, a spacious residence had to be combined with the clients wish for a garden. Therefore, the footprint of the house is minimized within the given building height, resulting in a vertically organized program. Due to the proximity of the houses in the neighbourhood, the amount of privacy in the garden is limited. Hence, the tower-like structure offers a roof terrace with maximum privacy where one can dwell between the treetops.The Atlas House is built with large types of red bricks, both inside and outside. For the facades, a striking brushed form of pointing is used, creating a strong graphical pattern. Across the volume, the facades contain decorations that refer to the Dutch Neo-Renaissance tradition of enriching ordinary brickwork with plaster, suggesting architectural elements like keystones and tympans. The upper part of the building is finished with a light-colored layer of cement, distinguishing the classical plinth from the more lightweight top. The slightly lifted corners of the roof further emphasize this theme, bringing Atlas to mind, the Greek mythological figure that carries the sky on his shoulders for eternity.

Architects: MONADNOCK

Area: 210 m²

Year: 2016

Photographs: Stijn Bollaert

Manufacturers: Wienerberger, Daas baksteen, Kawneer

Structural Engineer: Bolwerk Weekers

Main Contractor: Woonveste Bouw BV