Text description provided by the architects. Loft Loods 22 is situated at a quay in Ghent with a view overlooking the quays and the outport. A couple with two children bought the last remaining loft in the old warehouse which they could furnish under strict conditions. They assigned dmvA to find a fitting interpretation of the loft.
The program is based on three key elements: openness, light and privacy. The existing space was difficult to rearrange because of the complex supporting structure of the roof with its steel trusses, steel beams and wooden rafters. It was a must for the architects to create a design that doesn’t interfere with the roof.
dmvA looked for a volume in which the bedrooms and bathrooms could be housed, without touching the roof and disturbing the openness of the loft. The result is a three-dimensional shape that literally winds through the trusses of the roof. To enhance the light intensity in the loft, it was decided to paint the existing building envelope and roof structure in white.
To strengthen the synergy between old and new the volume is built out of birch plywood. The wooden construction is suspended from the existing steel trusses by round steel tubes.
