The villa stands for sumptuous home decor and upscale lifestyle. However it is more than a large urban mansion with a piece of land: The villa offers its residents an urban country seat, combining the best of city and country life: impressive architecture and high quality materials, surrounded by green, yet in the midst of all the city has to offer. It esteems quiet and seclusion, without relinquishing its tie to the city. For architects involved in the planning or conversion of a mansion, reinterpreting a classical building in a contemporary context is an exciting challenge. With the aid of texts, pictures and plans this volume of the Masterpieces series presents the works of famous architects as well as those of younger newcomers.