Two Dutch designers, collectively known as HUNK-design, have transformed their 19th century top floor apartment into a "unique city paradise." Architect Bart Cardinaal and artist Nadine Roos, who have lived in parts of the house in central Rotterdam since their student years, have created a large outdoor terraced space amid the rooflines of a built up area. By demolishing the existing pitched roof, they have constructed what they describe as their "Cabrio apartment."
To make the roof terrace they had to also rearrange every existing room in the house. According to the architects, "the roof terrace is where the master bedroom once was. The bedroom moved to where the dining room was. The dining area moved to the top floor, to the spot where previously the bathtub stood. The bathroom and kitchen changed places. The new sitting area used to be a very cold and dark storage room and what used to be the living room is now a spacious play room. The dividing room has been converted into a walk-in closet. Only the daughter's bedroom stayed in the same place."
Their primary aim was to create a roof terrace. In order to realise this, "a big part of the original pointed roof would have to be demolished, the consequence of this being that the house would become substantially smaller. Two thirds of the roof was removed from the top floor. The front of the roof has kept its original shape, under which is now the cosy sunken sofa. In the middle of the roof a construction was created to build a transition between the original roof and the glass roofing over the terrace and, from the original part, the mid-section fans out into the rectangular construction of the roof terrace. The roof of the middle part is flat and is slightly tilted; when the weather is nice the glass roof can slide over the middle roof."
Featuring a "dotted staircase" by local artists VollaersZwart entitled 'Let's Stick Together', the project is packed full of interesting, practical design moves perfect for a young family of their size. See a full range of images from the project at the Thomas Mayer archive.
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Architects: HUNK-design
- Area: 140 m²
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:Thomas Mayer
