A former museum on one of the oldest streets in Rotterdam has been transformed into a spacious luxury townhouse with a small environmental footprint. Paul de Ruiter Architects designed the adaptive reuse project, named the Townhouse Kralingen, to meet the needs of the clients while retaining the building’s existing features and framework. The finished result is a light-filled and low-energy home that uses four independent energy sources to maintain a comfortable indoor climate.
While the building’s original framework was largely kept intact, the architects completely restructured the floor plans and expanded the footprint of the villa. The roof and the north facade were modified to include outdoor terraces and ample glazing on all three levels to improve the incidence of natural light. Thanks to the expanded footprint and increased access to daylight, the adaptive reuse building looks and feels more spacious. The ground floor comprises the kitchen and two sitting areas as well as a living and dining room that overlook the rear garden. The bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the floor above, while the guest room, office, and lounge with a wellness area can be found on the top floor.
Related: OMA completes the Netherlands’ most sustainable mixed-use building in Rotterdam
To keep energy usage to a minimum, the architects combined four independent energy sources that include a heat pump, underground storage of hot and cold airflows, and two fireplaces. A wall and ceiling activation system was installed to “heat the house with a temperature as low as possible, and to cool with a temperature as high as possible, which saves energy,” wrote the architects. “We selected every part of the construction material on ecological value, sustainability, and renewability.”
Images via Paul de Ruiter Architects
