Y House
In December 2016, Dutch firm MVRDV revealed designs for Y House, a strange new concept for a holiday villa.
Located in northeast Tainan, Taiwan, the 330 sq. m villa will provide the focal point for a new residential development, with its Y-shaped design and open-air swimming pool cradled by an angular roof.
Constructed from concrete, the design includes large circular holes that form windows in the exterior façade, as well as puncturing some internal partitions and floors.
The communal spaces – living and dining rooms – are at the top of the volume, with bedrooms below. Circular openings in the ceiling provide views up into the swimming pool, and allow dappled natural light to filter into the building.
Staircases span the main living room at both ends, following the angle of the Y-shape, whilst dividing into curving pathways leading to the roof. Some of the furniture is integrated into the concrete form, such as the dining table which projects out from one of the staircases.
Y House was conceived by MVRDV working with co-architects KAI Architects, Taiwan and in collaboration with Envision Engineering Consultants, Taipei/Tainan, Taiwan.
Images courtesy of MVRDV.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
























