Light, timber and water just outside the city
Light, timber and water just outside Rotterdam
The urban ribbons on the outskirts of Rotterdam traditionally presented a mixed picture of industry, greenhouse horticulture and a few traditionally rather modest houses. Due to the growing scale of new individual urban villas in all kinds of styles and qualities, the informal charm of the place is increasingly under pressure. The new house, turned inwards, is built entirely in CLT and shows greater similarity to the original character of the place than to its new neighbours. From the outside it looks rather small and discreet, but on the inside it feels light, spacious and generous.
| location: | Rotterdam Prinsenland |
| design: | 2015-2018 |
| realisation: | 2015-2018 |
| client: | Family W |
| constructor: | H4D Raadgevend Ingenieurs |
| installation consultant: | Adviesbureau VanderWeele |
| contractor: | Aannemingsbedrijf De Hek BV |
| contractor wood construction: | Christian Dörschug |
| photography: | Maurice Tjon a Tham |
A dwelling, constructed of CLT, on the brink of the city along the historic Prinsenland district belt, located where until recently greenhouse horticulture was found.
The freestanding dwelling is composed of two adjoined volumes; a single-story ground floor house and a private dormitory upper story. This collaboration of volumes makes the house seem modest, but on the contrary, the house is by no means small. Once inside, a spacious, and above all, very light interior unfolds. This is primarily the result of the skylights that can be found at the caps of the roofs of both buildings. The living room and the kitchen are full height, allowing light to enter theatrically and creates the opportunity for one to experience weather and seasonal changes directly.
Section Dwelling
From a spatial point of view, the house is set up in such a way that various combinations of different spaces are always to be found; lofty, light spaces adjoined with intimate low spaces, closed introverted spaces transition into spaces with distant views, etc. In this way, one can always find a suitable and pleasant space within the house, subject to activity, mood and time of day. In combination with a certain 'vastness' that arises from the iterative transition between the living and sleeping spaces within the house, the house offers its residents a range of different spatial experiences and opportunities to find their own space.
