Interesting Renovation of an Old Home: Rotterdam Villa Designed by Ooze

Designed by Ooze , the Rotterdam Villa is an expressive architectural residence recreated with the spirit of the surroundings in mind. The early twentieth century building received a makeover in 1991, when it was enlarged and another one in 2003, when three more rooms and some other facilities were added. The current owner thought that the house had too much unused space and its potential needed to be exploited. The design of the house was thus reorganized around a central void, with a new staircase on the north wall connecting the first and second floor. The outcome was a bright and social space. Using solid wood prefabricated panels to shape the roof, walls and floor, the architects created a lightweight structure. The designers explain the significance of the project: “ Inside, the building manifests itself through a formal language based on prefabricated, solid wood triangles that have a direct reference to the old roof. Folds and facets were generated by an intuitive rationalism following what was permitted and what would benefit the space inside. This skin becomes the structure which sits like a hat on top of the existing one and works as a load carrier to bring down the additional weight burden of the new floors and roofs. The house is a precedent in establishing a new culture of dealing with an existing structure. ”