The jury of the Rijnland Architecture Prize (RAP) has selected Villa te Meijendel as this year’s winner. The villa was designed and built by and for Jan Pesman, allowing for a high degree of design freedom. Jury chair Ton Venhoeven commented: “Villa te Meijendel is a magnificent example of how architecture can unite innovation, beauty and experience. A worthy winner of the 2025 Rijnland Architecture Prize.”
inside is outside
The newly awarded villa is situated in the dunes of Wassenaar, on the edge of a wooded residential area. Reflections on the glass façades make the long, linear building almost dissolve into its leafy surroundings. The interior layout is entirely oriented towards the outside world with swaying pine tops and squirrels at play. When the sliding doors in the living room are open, one finds himself practically outdoors.
kit of parts
Villa te Meijendel is the second house Jan designed for himself. The first, in Delft, already strongly reflects cepezed’s architectural principles. Both are designed as a kit of parts with a high degree of remountablity. They are lightweight constructions achieved through efficient use of materials; the prefabricated elements are of such high quality that the shell construction is simultaneously the finishing layer. The construction was also tendered in parts.
experienced innovators
The design of Villa te Meijendel demonstrates what it means to be an experienced innovator. Daylight penetrates deep into the building through carefully selected types of glass. Details are executed to millimetre precision – even the handle on a glass interior door is made of glass. Living functions, including parts of the kitchen, bathrooms, service shafts, toilets, cabinets and a foldaway bed, are contained within freestanding volumes.
architecture as a product
Jan Pesman, who stepped down from cepezed’s board at the end of 2024, has describes himself as an industrial designer who became an architect. “Prefab construction wasn’t popular in 1974,” he says. “But I believed then, and still do, that it can improve quality. Industrially produced elements are generally superior to what is made on site. Moreover, this approach frees you from the limitations of standard building products. As my own client, I could demonstrate exactly what I mean by ‘architecture as a product’.”
