God’s Loftstory: LKSVDD Transforms 1928 Church into Daylight-Filled Home with Shipping Container Studio

The Dutch architectural firm <a href="http://www.lksvdd.nl/">Leijh Kappelhoff Seckel van den Doppelsteen (LKSVDD) Architecten</a> found an intriguing and humorous way to renovate a 1928 church into a residential loft, aptly named "God's Loftstory". Located in <a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haarlo">Haarlo</a>, Netherlands, LKSVDD Architecten preserved the historic nature of the building’s exterior and reinvented the interior through a simple concept; strip, isolate and furnish. This economical, smart renovation was also accompanied by the installation of a green-roofed shipping container studio and shed, which further defined LKSVDD’s holistic, thoughtful work.

A porch extends off the container shed in the garden creating a relaxing and peaceful place for the owners to enjoy the amazing springs and summers that the Netherlands offers.

Adjacent to this garden and acting as a privacy fence is a green-roofed shed made from a 40 foot container. After all, this is The Netherlands, and how could this be a sustainable renovation project without the reuse of a shipping container!

The exterior yard is planted as an orchard and a mixture of herb, vegetable, and flower gardens. This edible escape provides the owners with a private garden with a view of the church. As outlined by the architects, this can be seen as a “contemporary nod to the old monastery gardens”.

The old church, which fits nicely in the residential neighborhood, was preserved from the outside so that its historic character is not lost.

[gallery_extend]....<br><br><a href='https://inhabitat.com/lksvdds-transformation-of-a-dutch-church-creates-unique-sustainable-home-with-shipping-container-studio/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

The stage is reused as an office in the new home.

The centerpiece of the room is a stairway, which was creatively nicknamed the “stairway to have fun”.

Old wooden floorboards were re-purposed for the walls of the stairway and a bright red color playfully accents the stairs.

The stairway is multifunctional and serves as a room divider between the kitchen, living room and office.

Their humor, love and creativity can be found in the project elements like the swing, the “stairway to have fun”, the “holy shit” on the toilet, and the wooden “lost sheep” in the garden.

The stairway leads to the only other architectural addition, which houses the bedroom and bathroom.

The clients renovated the church in a method to not only be pure, functional, and cost-effective, but to also make a playful statement of the previous nature of the building. Their

[gallery_extend]....<br><br><a href='https://inhabitat.com/lksvdds-transformation-of-a-dutch-church-creates-unique-sustainable-home-with-shipping-container-studio/'>READ ARTICLE</a>