Studioninedots fronts skinny Amsterdam home with glass blocks

Glass bricks, metal grilles and glossy tiles lend an industrial character to Light House, a family home in the Netherlands designed by local architecture practice Studioninedots.

Located in Centrumeiland, a newly developed neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the tall, skinny home was created for a family who wanted spaces that would allow "each family member to live differently".

In response to this brief, Studioninedots designed the home as a five-storey stack of volumes, each containing different functions.

Exterior view of glass brick home in Amsterdam — Studioninedots has completed a family home in the Netherlands

The volumes that make up Light House are separated by voids wrapped in glass bricks and metal grilles, which filter light and air through the interiors.

"The design is inspired by the clients' wish for a light-filled home that encourages each family member to live differently, while creating spaces for encounter and connection between the four," Studioninedots partner Metin van Zijl told Dezeen.

"How can a five-level vertical house on a compact footprint make encounters feel self-evident, while balancing privacy and social interaction? Or as we called it throughout the design process, 'living apart and together,'" he added.

Rear view of Dutch home by Studioninedots — Its form was conceived as a five-storey stack of volumes

Behind a glass-brick facade, the entrance of Light House leads into an open double-height living, dining and kitchen area organised around a tree, with the intersecting, rectilinear volumes of the rooms above visible overhead.

This open space creates an axis directly through into the home's garden via sliding glass doors and is further illuminated by expanses of glass brickwork at both the front and rear of the home.

Front facade of glass brick home by Studioninedots — Glass bricks and metal grilles filter light and air through the interiors

Above this living space is a small "retreat" room for watching films, relaxing and yoga, next to a small mezzanine atop the entrance porch and bathroom that overlooks the ground floor below.

"By subtly separating its programmatic elements and distributing them across different levels, a new way of living emerges," said van Zijl. "In this way, multiple places are created throughout the day to sit comfortably and experience the house in different ways."

The geometric qualities of the home's intersecting volumes have been emphasised by minimalist white finishes throughout, complemented by timber doors and a kitchen island finished in glossy, deep-red tiles.

Externally, a more industrial feel is created by glass brickwork on the home's lower levels, metal cladding on the upper levels and metal grilles encasing bedroom terraces at the rear.

Living space interior at Light House home in the Netherlands — A double-height living, dining and kitchen area is organised around a tree

"The exterior is composed of neutral, industrial, and thus timeless materials, while the interior is enriched with warm, tactile finishes that create intimacy," said van Zijl.

"In addition, we explored a variety of materials that can play with light, translucency, and reflection," he added.

Light House kitchen by Studioninedots — A kitchen island is finished in glossy red tiles

A long wooden stair connects the first three levels of the home, linking with a spiral staircase in deep-red metal on the second floor that leads to the upper two storeys.

The home's 15-metre high section culminates in a secondary living space on its top floor, which is flanked by large, arched windows and opens onto a terrace.