The VDL Penthouse defines an elevated architectural space for outdoor living.
Kettal has replicated the design by Dion and Richard Neutra, while updating the materials and construction techniques. All the structural details, as defined by its creators, have been adhered to.
In 1932, Richard Neutra built his house thanks to a donation from the Dutch philanthropist Dr Van Der Leeuw (hence the acronym VDL). This house is a particularly important example of Richard Neutra’s work because it encapsulates all the architectural theories that he first posited in his book Wie Baut amerika?, 1927 and later on in his more philosophical reflections Survival Through Design, 1953.
Seven years later, when the family had grown, he built an annex in the garden. In 1963, the house was devastated by fire, leaving only the annex standing. At that time, Richard Neutra and his son and colleague Dion Neutra rebuilt the house and added a solarium/atrium on top of the original structure. He incorporated everything he had learned over the years in this reconstruction: modularity, natural climate control, water roofs, interaction with the natural environment, technological advances, etc.
Apart from being his home, the VDL Research House was also his office. In this building, over 30 years, he designed hundreds of international projects. Some of the most representative architects from the Modern American movement also spent time in his practice as apprentices. The house was also a meeting point for the cultural milieu of those times, with visitors such as Julius Shulman, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, Jørn Urtzon and László Moholy-Nagy. In 1990, on the death of Dione Neutra, Richard Neutra’s wife and Dion’s mother, the house was donated to the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
“This house – in its free relation to the ground, the trees, the sea – with constant proximity to the whole vast order of nature, acts as a re-orientator and ‘shock absorber’ and should provide the needed relaxations from the complications arising from daily problems.”
Kettal Structures seek to bring order, form and structure to outdoor areas, although functionally they are designed to provide shelter: to shade and cool or protect from the rain and wind. VDL Penthouse is a rectangular building of 63m2 of which 45m2 are covered and 18m2 of terrace, exterior dimensions 14x4.5x2.8m.
Strong spatial definition
Iconic presence
Creates protected areas
Outdoor use
Structural durability
Long-term performance