A residential house in the Roombeek district of Enschede.

Villa Welpeloo is a home for a couple who wishes to preserve and exhibit a collection of paintings and graphic work by young contemporary artists. Superuse strived for the greatest possible use of recycled materials. Scouts investigated the possibilities and availability of different materials from the location’s surroundings. Design with the found materials resulted in new architectural forms and new ways of construction.

To complement the paintings the colours and materials of the interior are kept restrained while wiring and piping for the installations are incorporated into the walls. The works of art are illuminated by eye-catching light fittings made from the ribs of used umbrellas. These were specially designed for this villa by studio En-Fer. The construction lift that was used for the placement of the steel support structure during construction later became a visible part of the interiors, allowing transport of the art works between the floors.

The load-bearing structure is made of steel girders from a paternoster, formerly used in the textile industry, an industry that was very important to the region. In our case, one reclaimed machine was enough to build the entire villa with. The wooden façade cladding is made of redundant cable reels from the Twente cable factory.