La reconstruction by the Studio Rolf.fr of an old building Rotterdam transforming it into a house + studio led to an architectural spectacle experimented with space and time. The new metal fixtures protruding in some places form a stark contrast to the existing black painted facade and old windows which have been painted black also heralding a new era and a completely different way of living and working. Inside, all the floors and walls have been removed, reducing the interior into a single large communication space. Just like in the facade, traces of the past are visible everywhere inside. On the walls an old railing and holes in wooden floors, beams, to reveal the compartmentalization of the previous house. The new house has a completely new interior arrangement.
In the center there is a construction of wooden slats which constitutes a huge, sculptural element, also functions as a shaft for wiring and plumbing, finds its way through the complex of the interiors upwards, and with its characteristic shape , penetrates and marks the communication of the spaces · between the four walls of the historic building thus, together with the new floors · form open living spaces. All unnecessary or redundant elements: staircase, balustrade, balcony, fences, railings and doors have been left out to achieve the highest possible level of spatial abstraction. Floors, walls, stairs and ceilings merge and sometimes seem to evoke something impossible like in Escher's paintings. The ground floor of the house contains a large workshop on the inside and a bamboo garden on the outside. Above, a semi-open space has been created to stay, cook and eat, sleep, a bathroom and walk-in closet. On the upper level, at the roof, the old tiles have been removed to make way for a greenhouse. However, the plants are outside on the terrace, while in the greenhouse there is a whirlpool tub that gives an extraordinary view of Rotterdam while taking a bath.
The facade was designed in collaboration with Zecc Architects
