Villa West

A VILLA CONVERTED FROM A 1940’S SPORTS BUILDING

The project wins "Interior of the year 2021" on Architectenweb!

Villa West - a 1940s sports hall, was an anonymous and functional architecture that looked like anything but a suitable space for a living.

The architects and the client agreed on the main approach to the project during the site visit, once they saw the walls and ceiling of the building stripped bare, revealing the original ‘raw beauty’ of the space. Both were impressed and moved by the same impulse: a desire to preserve and highlight it.

The purist tectonic architecture of the original space became our main source of inspiration. Creating a cosy living environment around it, while reusing materials and adapting the building structure for a residential function, was one of our objectives. Architects insured sustainability of the project by drawing on the resources already in place and avoiding any unnecessary waste.

Another aspect of enhancing the identity of the building’s was blurring the boundaries between the interior and the exterior. The surrounding green space, large windows cut down to the floor level, continue the inner space to the outside garden deck. Large home plants positioned under the top-light located in the center of the space, create an impression of a continuous garden.

Using tailor-made furniture elements instead of standard partition walls, allowed the architects to create an intriguing visual continuity of the space while sufficiently isolating each room.

Converting this space into a liveable environment presented a special challenge and made this project a unique experience.