anchor

Church Loft by Villanueva Architect

Churches in The Netherlands are getting more and more unoccupied. In order to preserve a small church in the South of The Netherlands, this church is transformed to residential housing. The length of the building is divided into 7 parts to accommodate 6 dwellings and 1 commercial office.

The new inhabitants where given the flexibility to change the presented base floor plans to their own wishes and demands. One of the dwellings is designed to create a loft-like living space. The challenge was to create an open continuous floor plan in the existing long and narrow three-level dwelling.

Closed sanitary blocks are carefully positioned in the open space, leaving functional rest spaces.

A storage cabinet spans the whole length of the dwelling. Combining different functions from a low TV cabinet to a folded steel plate staircase onto the kitchen, the long wall cabinet forms the centre of the layout connecting and unifying all areas. These merged functions in all interior elements, lead to maximum usage of the limited space.

Large cuts have been made in the floors. Creating voids which daylight can travel and generate long sightlines along all levels.

A walkable glass floor on the first level makes the whole existing structure, consisting of concrete columns and beams with a wooden frame, visible. At the same time daylight pierces into the middle of the living room.

Frameless doors flush in the walls contributes to a minimalistic form definition. Combining these contemporary interior volume elements with the original ornaments of the church, results in an open loft-like home with a unique character.