Penthouse Rotterdam
PENTHOUSE ROTTERDAM
ARCHITECTS
Personal Architecture
ROOFTERRACE DESIGN
Joost Emmerik Buitenruimte, Rotterdam
CONTRACTOR
Nelison Interieur
PHOTOGRAPHS
Ossip van Duivenbode
AREA
120.0 m²
YEAR
2016
LOCATION
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
CATEGORY
Penthouse, Apartment Interiors
Text description provided by architect.
This traditional, early twentieth century home has been transformed into a luxurious apartment featuring a wellness spa and roof-deck. Classic details and intricate woodwork are offset by the crisp contours of contemporary elements.
Voids in the load-bearing interior walls create circulation in the floor plan and connect the living spaces. Residents can enjoy a spectacular view of Rotterdam’s skyline from the sauna, steam room, bathtub and roof-top whirlpool bath.
The primary living space is on the second-story. Here, the floor plan has been augmented to include new functions such as an ensuite separation between the living and dining spaces and a second (guest) bathroom.
These new functions are bundled into one discrete volume that is separate from the walls and ceilings of the traditional house. The gesture creates a clear distinction between the house’s classic and contemporary elements. Small wooden flooring strips, two by twenty centimeters, unite old and new.
Upstairs in the fourth-floor bedroom, all of the load-bearing walls have been eliminated. In the center of the space is a large, freestanding L-shaped element clad in American oak.
The horizontal stroke of the L houses the bed and a large bathtub. The vertical stroke of the L contains a steam room and a sauna with a panorama window that provides a view of the city skyline.
The roof-deck is accessible from the fourth-story bedroom by means of a roof access skylight. Along two sides, a semitransparent chestnut fence affords privacy.The remaining two sides of the deck are open, to provide a spectacular 180-degree view of Rotterdam’s skyline.A low, built-in container doubles as a railing and roof garden.
The moss and stonecrop frame the deck with a thick swath of green. The roof-deck is floored in reclaimed hardwood and a subtle hatch in the floorboards betrays the whirlpool bath.
From the bath, the skyline of Rotterdam can be seen in all its glory.
