![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_hero-2-852x479.jpg)
Eklund Terbeek creates loft-style apartment within a former school gymnasium
Dutch architecture practice Eklund Terbeek has developed a spacious loft-style apartment for a family of four inside a school gymnasium in Rotterdam, which is over 100 years old.
![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_2364_col_1-852x568.jpg)
The apartment, which is aptly named The Gym Loft, has been designed by Eklund Terbeek to have a "minimalistic atmosphere where the experience of space, light and movement are the key qualities".
It is one of two loft-style apartments that the locally-based practice has created inside the former gymnasium of a school that dates back to 1908. An adjacent classroom block has also been turned into five flats.
![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x568.jpg)
This particular intervention called for the practice to develop sizeable living areas for the mother of the family – a choreographer and dance teacher who wanted the room to rehearse at home.
However, the practice was restricted in opening up any walls as three of the building's elevations were street-facing. A large mural on an exterior wall also had to be preserved.
![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_2364_col_7-852x1278.jpg)
Instead, an extension added to building in the 1970s was knocked through to allow for a huge dining and living area that looks through to a small garden. Towards the front of the space is the sitting room, which is illuminated by four original arched windows.
Underneath runs a short platform where the inhabitants can sit and relax throughout the day.
At the rear of the open-plan space is the kitchen, which is anchored by a chunky Carrara marble breakfast island. Touches of warmth are provided by an oakwood panelled partition wall that has integrated cabinetry.
![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x1278.jpg)
Directly above perches a boxy volume that accommodates the master bedroom and its ensuite facilities.
This first floor level of the home is accessed via a flight of steps that cantilever out of the apartment's peripheral wall. Inhabitants can alternatively use a staircase that's behind the partition in the kitchen, which also hides the two children's bedrooms and their shared playroom.
![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_2364_col_16-852x1278.jpg)
Keeping decoration to a minimum, the practice has instead exaggerated existing features of the gymnasium, like the ceiling beams. Together with the mezzanine balustrade, it's meant to appear as a "dynamic composition of horizontal elements that tie the different parts of the home together".
"The exceptional dimensions of the space required a few large gestures," the practice added.
Perforated plasterboard applied to the ceiling also adds texture to the otherwise white-rendered rooms.
![The Gym Loft by Eklund Terbeek](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/06/the-gym-loft-eklund-terbeek-interiors-residential-rotterdam_dezeen_2364_col_13-852x1278.jpg)
Headed up by architects Jenny Eklund and Dominique ter Beek, Eklund Terbeek is no stranger to adaptive reuse projects – last year the practice turned another 20th-century schoolhouse into six light-filled apartments that boast a mix of contemporary and historical features.
Photography is by René de Wit.
Project credits:
Design: Eklund Terbeek
Project architects: Jenny Eklund, Dominique ter Beek
Construction: IMD, Rotterdam
Contractor: BDS, Oud Oublas
Fixed furniture: Vink Betimmeringen, Ridderkerk