Dutch studio Personal Architecture has overhauled a traditional townhouse in The Hague by adding mezzanine floors, a glass elevation, a triple-height kitchen and a spiral staircase.
Whilst the front half of the three-storey house retains its original facade and layout, Personal Architecture removed the brickwork garden elevation and replaced it with a steel framework and full-height glass wall.
The architects then cut away sections of the first and second floors, creating a triple-height kitchen filled with natural light.
Four new mezzanines overlook the kitchen from the side of the house, providing a new bathroom, library and pantry that feature untreated pine walls and floors. A steel staircase spirals up between the levels and leads up to a rooftop terrace and hot tub.
Small sets of steps connect the four mezzanine levels with the three existing floors of the house, while the original staircases provide a link between floors at the front of the house.
Above the kitchen, a translucent polycarbonate wall lets light into the master bedroom though a walk-in wardrobe positioned at its back.
A wire-fence balustrade creates a balcony on the second floor, so residents can look down from an office to the kitchen below.
Other interesting house renovations from the Netherlands include a thatched cottage in the seaside town of Noordwijk and an old apartment block converted into a house. See more Dutch houses on Dezeen.
Photography is by René de Wit.
Here's some more information from the architects:
The dilapidated state has necessitated a thorough reinforcement of the foundation and load-bearing structure of the entire house, opening up extraordinary possibilities in an otherwise commonplace apartment renovation.
The combination of ambitious design visions and a large measure of trust from the client have resulted in a rigorous and uncompromising redesign, in which voids and split levels accentuate the full height of Den Haag's typical row houses.
The potential of the brick structure, the details such as glass-in-lead frames, and the characteristic "en-suite" room divisions were the deciding factors in purchasing the house, according to the clients.
Above: site plan
The tension between antique features and modern techniques is very evident in the redesign plan. The classical street façade is restored to its former glory, from ground to third floor.
Above: ground floor plan
Behind the doors of the "en-suite" element, a complete change is taking place. The rear façade is removed and clad with glass to a full height of 11 meters. The floor levels are detached from the façade, creating a void that spans three levels and generating an optimal source of daylight.
Above: mezzanine floor plan
In the back of the house, the load-bearing wall between the corridor and the living room is replaced with a steel construction. Four new floors with a net height of 2.4 meters protrude from this construction. These floors remain openly linked to the existing floor levels. The interplay of voids, the split-levels and the glass façade, all create a spectacular drama between interior and exterior on the one hand, and between the existing and new floors on the other.
Above: first floor plan
The intervention in the back of the house can be interpreted as a three-dimensional, L-shaped element of five storeys, accessed by a new steel spiral staircase. The staircase brings a new dynamic between the different parts of the house and makes a separation between owners and guests possible. Vertically, the L-shaped element ends in a roof-terrace with jacuzzi and outer kitchen that lies far above the balconies of the lower floors.
Above second floor plan
This rigorous redesign project has reorganized the total accessible surface of the house towards an excess of floor space, generating more rooms and more daylight. To the owner, the residence promises an extraordinary living experience. To passers-by, it cannot be distinguished from any other house on the van Merlenstraat.
Above: roof plan
Project: house of Joyce & Jeroen
Location: The Hague, the Netherlands
Client: Joyce & Jeroen
Project type: residence renovation
Area: 225 m² building
Cost: € 245.000 including VAT
Above: 3D sectional diagram
Above: 3D concept diagram