East West House | Tjeerd Bloothoofd

The clients of the East West House are originated from the Netherlands and China. They have travelled a lot and, among other things, lived in Asia for a quite some time. Their request was to create a modern, but attractive and warm extension and renovation where both worlds, east and west, come together.

From a classical point of view, Western architecture is dominated by stone and Asian architecture by wood. In Asian architecture, partly due to the climate, materials often extend from the inside to the outside. The architecture and functions are less tightly defined and more intuitive. Western architecture is more defined, clean lines and everything has a function.

The typical 1930s brick corner house has been dissected and become part of a spatial plan in which functions overlap and are interchangeable. Only the kitchen, which is spread over 3 elements in the room, is fixed. The material palette consists of wood, concrete and steel, but there are different types and textures of each material. This rich pallet gives warmth, depth and diversity to the design.

The facade of the extension participates in the play of the plasticity and scale of the existing home. The materialization and detailing contrasts with the brick facade, but ensures a coherent material palette. At the rear, the extension is monumental in design. A lot of height has been created by lowering the extension. The lowering also makes the design playful with the level differences and the stairs. The prefab concrete facade continues inwards in the form of a concrete grid, but also extends into the sunken garden surrounded by seating edges. This creates a park-like setting with space to sit everywhere. The concrete structure that continues outside and inside arises from the rhythm and supporting structure of the existing house. This means that the renovation and expansion in its entirety work as an integral whole.

The entrance to the house consists of a galvanized steel niche that protrudes through the wooden facade of the extension. There is a steel pivot door in the niche that has the same width and height as the hall. This door is also made from raw galvanized steel. Once through the gate you enter a new spacious hall. This hall is defined by the old existing wall of the house on one side. The existing walls of the house that surround the stairwell have been modified in such a way that they now stand in the room as a wooden volume. On the other side of the hall, a new wooden wall guides the user from the entrance to the rear of the house. This wooden wall contains all supporting functions including toilet, wardrobe, technology, storage and kitchen.

From the hall you enter the new heart of the house. The new heart of the house has formed under the large skylight in the extension of the house. Here it is light, there is greenery and the large prefab concrete steps offer a place to sit. The absence of a clear function for this space is what makes it so powerful. It therefore creates tranquility in the room and that enriches the house.