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How the design of your home can enrich your life
Case study: Smitstraat | Home extension in Amsterdam
A Private Monumental Reconstruction.
When considering renovating a monumental building, people tend to be concerned. They wonder “Will I be granted the permits? How long will this take? What permits do I need? What would it cost me? What if I alter aspects of the building that I wasn’t allowed to alter?” We understand that this seems daunting. However, over the years, we have gained the experience needed to help you anticipate on current and future factors. The residence on Smitstraat is a perfect case study of how we enlarged a private residence which was not only monumental, in fact it was declared monumental half way through the architectural process.
“So how do we preserve the monumental aspects while still designing a house that supports your lifestyle and needs?”
Matching lifestyle with design
In the case of this project, core to our client’s lifestyle is the social aspect, which revolves very much around the notion of interaction. Therefore, it was decided to revitalize the layout and open-up the entire space. The space was transformed from a disconnected living and kitchen area, to a united area that fosters both casual, lively and vibrant interactions with for instance guests that come over to dine. As a result, the house’s size was enlarged from a 50m2 to a 75m2 space with an open living area and a spacious bathroom in line with the overall design of the house.
Dealing with rapid changing circumstances
As mentioned previously, during this project we dealt with the challenge of working on a premise that was declared monumental half way through the design process, therefore altering the necessary permits and requirements for reconstructing the space. However, by embracing the flexibility, agility and creativity embedded in our way of working, we are able to deal with rapid changing circumstances, therefore ensuring the highest quality within the original timeline and within the original budget.
Being a good neighbor
This private residence is on the ground floor of an apartment complex, making it a necessity to engage the community of neighbours. We always consider how our project affect others, during the construction process as well as through its long term impact. Therefore, certain aspects of the design concepts were adapted, such as the roof of the extension that was made to feature greenery as well as the newly constructed walls that were located in such a way that no Dutch sun is blocked from neighboring premises.
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