Rietveld house + studio | cepezed

Controversial combination of existing and new construction on the Rietveld, a small canal in Delft. The project combines the total dismantling and reconstruction of a monumental 16th-century building with adjoining new construction.

The site in the old center of Delft included a protected monument in deplorable state and an empty plot. The new building on the plot is completely executed in steel, glass and aluminium. The huge windowpanes on the front are covered with blinds which function as sun shield, privacy shield and security shield in one.

The façade along the canal is specific, containing generally two-storey houses with an attic. The new side of the plan has a steel frame that has been used to stabilize the monumental part. The new façade follows the functional rhythmic proportions of the neighboring buildings, two discernable floors, and the lower with a skirt, with a recessing top floor. In front an aluminum louvered screen fragments the reflection of the glass surfaces. The monumental part was documented, fully disassembled and assembled anew. The steel structure supports steel/anhydrite floors, a cepezed development.

The new and existing volumes jointly generate a stimulating field of tension and form the living and working area of a couple with their own graphic design firm. The monument and new part are linked by means of a central open staircase and a connecting zone made entirely of hard glass, which also functions as the entrance. The configuration is organized horizontally: the business functions are located at ground level, the residential functions are on the first and second floor. After dismantling, the monument was rebuilt with its own authentic materials, while the new construction was largely implemented in steel and glass. As a result of the careful attunement of scale, dimension, rhythm and finishing, the new construction fits in well with the tranquil and pleasant ambience of the historical inner city.

Project details
Year 1992
Work finished in 1995
Client Petr van Blokland and Claudia Mens, Delft
Status completed works
Type house / office