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Architects: Bloot Architecture
- Area: 140 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Jeroen Musch
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Manufacturers: FritsJurgens, Decor Walther, FLOS, Forster Unico , Isovlas, Pavatex, Studio Piet Boon, TPB TECH
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Lead Architects: Tjeerd Bloothoofd
Text description provided by the architects. The clients of the East-West House originated from China and the Netherlands. They have traveled all over the world, among other things, and lived in Asia for quite some time. Now back in The Netherlands, they have purchased a typical 1930s uninsulated brick corner house in The Hague. Their request was to create a sustainable, modern, attractive, and warm extension and renovation where both worlds, east and west, come together.
From a classical point of view, Western architecture is dominated by stone, and Asian architecture by wood. In Asian architecture, partly due to the climate, materials often extend from the inside to the outside. The architecture and functions are less tightly defined and more intuitive. Western architecture is more defined, with clean lines and everything has a function.
The corner house has been dissected and has become part of a spatial plan in which functions overlap and are interchangeable. Only the kitchen, which is spread over 3 elements in the room, is fixed. The material palette consists of wood, concrete, and steel, but there are different types and textures of each material. This rich pallet gives warmth, depth, and diversity to the design.
The facade of the extension participates in the play of the plasticity and scale of the existing home. The materialization and detailing contrast with the brick facade, but ensure a coherent material palette. At the rear, the extension is monumental in design. A lot of height has been created by lowering the extension. The lowering also makes the design playful with the level differences and the stairs. The prefab concrete facade continues inwards in the form of a concrete grid but also extends into the sunken garden surrounded by seating edges. This creates a park-like setting with space to sit everywhere. The concrete structure that continues outside and inside arises from the rhythm and supporting structure of the existing house. This means that the renovation and expansion in its entirety work as an integral whole.
The entrance to the house consists of a galvanized steel niche that protrudes through the wooden facade of the extension. There is a steel pivot door in the niche that has the same width and height as the hall. This door is also made from raw galvanized steel. Once through the gate, you enter a new spacious hall. A new wooden wall guides the user from the entrance to the rear of the house. This wooden wall contains all supporting functions including toilet, wardrobe, technology, storage, and kitchen.
From the hall you enter the new heart of the house. The new heart of the house has formed under the large skylight in the extension of the house. Here it is light, there is greenery and the large prefab concrete steps offer a place to sit. The absence of a clear function for this space is what makes it so powerful. It therefore creates tranquillity in the room and that enriches the house.
