House on a House

The outside of the roof extension is covered with steel seam cladding. Both the roof and the walls have this cladding, so that the building can be read as an unambiguous volume. This makes it stronger in its contrast to the brick underworld. The steel seam cladding has a certain degree of reflection, so that the building colours with the light of the day. In addition to the fact that the roof extension forms a contrast, it is also a recognizable addition as it is reminiscent of the classic Parisian roofs, which often consist of zinc roofs placed as a vertical ending on top of a stone structure.

The existing 1930s construction is sensitive to noise, so it was decided to realize the bedrooms in the roof extension and to place the construction of the extension in its entirety, including the floor, on top of the existing building. This new ‘floating’ construction and the large span covering the glass sliding doors made the use of a steel construction necessary. In the interior, a number of elements of this construction have been left visible. Each room has such a constructive accent and has it in its own colour.

The roof extension offers space for 3 bedrooms. The two smaller bedrooms are for the children and the master bedroom is for the whole family. In addition to a sleeping area for the parents, this room also has a sitting area, a toilet and a pantry. The pantry ensures that the outdoor space can be used as fully as possible. The entire long side of the master bedroom consists of glass sliding doors. Because the new construction lies on top of the existing construction, there is room to conceal the window frames flush. As a result, inside and outside flow seamlessly into each other. The steel fencing that runs vertically behind the wooden decking emphasises this feeling of infinity.

To prevent the master bedroom from heating up by the sun, 6 sliding screens have been incorporated in the design. These can be slid per 3 screens into pockets left and right in the front wall. This gives you the choice to enjoy the full view or use the privacy of the screens. You can see through the screens, but you can’t do that from the outside in and the sun can’t get in either. The sliding screens are made of a steel frame and filled in with untreated Western Red Cedar wood. The warmth of the wood and the playfulness of the changing positions of the sliding screens give the design an extra layer.

With a roof extension on top of this kind of architecture it is necessary to continue the existing chimneys to the new roof. The offsets that the chimneys give in the floor plan have been used in this design to program the walls with cupboard space and in the small bedroom the chimney playfully divides the room into a sleeping and living area.

The space that became available on the existing 2nd floor has been included in this renovation and has been converted into a bathroom. The birch plywood walls continue via the stairs into the bathroom. The existing ceiling has been taking away and the old beams are made visible. The part of the ceiling that is not covered by the extension is insulated with cork. Concrete panels and pale Blue hexagon tiles complete the warm pallet of this bathroom.