#apartments
Studio Okami Architecten exposes brutalist skeleton of Antwerp apartment
Belgian studio Studio Okami Architecten has renovated a duplex apartment in the brutalist Riverside Tower in Antwerp, allowing its original concrete structure to take centre stage.
The project was led by and designed for Bram Van Cauter, founding partner of Studio Okami Architecten, who lives there with his partner, art collector Doris Vanistendael.
Studio Okami Architecten has renovated a duplex apartment in Antwerp
Riverside Tower is a 20-storey apartment building positioned in the bend of the river Scheldt, completed by architects Leon Stynen & Paul De Meyer in the 1970s.
The 230-square-metre apartment is on the thirteenth and fourteenth floors of the building, three storeys above the Studio Okami Architecten office. The couple also owns a duplex in the same building, which contains a guest suite and Vanistendael's art gallery named Soon.
The apartment is located in the brutalist Riverside Tower
Studio Okami Architecten's first step of the renovation was to tear down the walls of the apartment and strip away all the surface coverings.
While revealing the concrete structure of the apartment, this transformed its layout from a five-bedroom dwelling to a lofty open-plan space with a single bedroom.
All of its concrete surfaces were exposed
"With the Riverside Tower being a brutalist building, it seemed logical to strip the apartment to the bare concrete, showing the space in its most honest and raw form," Van Cauter told Dezeen.
"Removing the walls allows for unobstructed views over the city," the architect added. "Being childfree, an open-plan space was a logical choice."
A sculptural kitchen island was added. Photo is by Matthijs van der Burgt
A few brick walls in the dwelling were retained but covered with cement mixed with small stones, creating a finish that matches the original concrete structure.
To counterbalance the rough concrete surfaces, a peach-hued resin floor has been added alongside plants and artworks hung from existing holes in the concrete.
A pastel blue staircase links the two floors of the duplex
"The aim was to balance out the rough concrete by adding colourful elements to the space," Van Cauter explained. "The artworks, furniture and plants all combine to create a homey atmosphere."
Double-height pivoting windows also brighten the space by providing natural light and views out over the river and a neighbouring forest.
Pops of colour contrast with the concrete
On the lower floor of the apartment is an open-plan kitchen and dining area. Above it is the living room, bedroom and home office.
The apartment's upper level, which is intended to feel more secluded than the floor below, is arranged around a technical block containing the bathroom, storage and utility facilities.
The upper level contains more private spaces
"The duplex setup creates a special division between the downstairs entertainment area and the more private upstairs functions like a home office, living and bedroom," Van Cauter explained.
Linking the two levels is a pastel blue spiral staircase, chosen to stand out against the concrete. It was welded and painted in place due to the limited size of the tower's circulation areas.
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The pastel colour palette continues in the bathroom, which is lined with smooth peach pink surfaces.
These surfaces ensure the bathroom is watertight, but they also create a sharp contrast with the rough concrete beams overhead.
Rietveld Crate Chairs are among the furnishings
Studio Okami Architecten chose a mixture of contemporary vintage furnishings to complete the apartment. Among the classic furniture are the patchwork De Sede DS88 sofa and Rietveld Crate Chairs, while contemporary pieces include a Long Table by Muller Van Severen and a red Bold chair by Big-Game.
There are also a series of bespoke elements, including the kitchen island, designed by Studio Okami Architecten to resemble "a sculpture in the room when out of use". This is teamed with cabinetry that references the work of American artist Donald Judd.
A pastel pink bathroom features upstairs
Other apartment renovations featured on Dezeen that are located in brutalist buildings include a New York residence by General Assembly in a 1970s tower block and a flat at the Barbican estate in London that Takero Shimazaki Architects infused with Japanese details.
Alongside the Riverside Tower apartment renovation, Studio Okami Architecten also recently completed a brick and concrete home that is embedded into a sloping hillside in Belgium.
The photography is byOlmo Peeters unless stated.
The post Studio Okami Architecten exposes brutalist skeleton of Antwerp apartment appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #interiors #residential #apartments #concrete #belgium #antwerp #renovations #brutalism #studiookamiarchitecten
Erbar Mattes strips back and extends flats in former London pub
London studio Erbar Mattes has transformed a pair of apartments in a former pub in Hoxton into a duplex flat by adding a "monastic" grey-brown brick extension.
The old pub, called the Blockmakers Arms, is located in the Regent's Canal conservation area and dates back to the mid-19th century. It was converted into three flats in the 1970s.
Erbar Mattes has extended a pair of apartments in a former London pub
The owners of the ground floor flat sought extra space for their growing family and acquired the vacant first-floor dwelling with a view to creating a five-bedroom duplex.
Erbar Mattes' approach involved stripping away previous extensions that detracted from the pub's original structure and replacing an external staircase with an elevated walkway and brick loggia informed by monastery cloisters.
The extension incorporates a loggia
"One of the main challenges consisted of creating a larger dwelling while retaining separate access to the independent apartment on the top floor," explained the studio.
"To overcome this, the external circulation is relocated to the side elevation and a new raised walkway added to the rear."
The extension has transformed two flats into a duplex
"The loggia, with its solid brick piers, draws inspiration from monastic architecture, where cloisters form a sheltered transition space between inside and outside," Erbar Mattes continued.
Replacing redundant vehicular access, this new arrangement strengthens the building's relationship with a walled courtyard at the rear, which is now overlooked by the loggia and a new brick volume.
External circulation has been added to the side of the building
"The new rectilinear building volumes wrap around the side and rear elevations without detracting from the ornate front facade," said the studio.
Internally, the existing structure was reconfigured to better suit its expanded size, with plasterboard ceilings and finishes stripped back to restore the original ceiling heights and wooden panelling.
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A former function room on the first floor has been repurposed to create a large main bedroom, which has access to a roof terrace on the first floor above the original entrance to the pub.
The new volumes contain a staircase which overlooks the nearby trees through a large window, as well as two further bedrooms and a bathroom.
Original details of the pub have been restored internally. Photo is by Ståle Eriksen
During the project, Erbar Mattes was also commissioned to convert the interiors of the independent second-floor apartment, which involved a similar approach of stripping back recent additions to reveal the original interior features.
The internal staircase looks out over nearby trees. Photo is by Ståle Eriksen
Erbar Mattes was founded in 2015 by Holger Mattes and Demian Erbar, who previously worked for David Chipperfield Architects.
The studio also recently extended an Edwardian house in London's Crouch End, where a bright living area built in pale brick overlooks a garden.
The photography is by Simon Menges unless stated. Ståle Eriksen
The post Erbar Mattes strips back and extends flats in former London pub appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #architecture #residential #instagram #london #apartments #uk #england #bricks #extensions #residentialextensions #londonhouses #londonhouseextensions
NOA creates tailor-made interior for pied-à-terre in Le Marais
Network of Architecture has used curved lines, custom oak furniture and marble details to heighten the character of an apartment in a converted hotel in Le Marais, Paris.
NOA has created a completely custom interior for Nicolai Paris, located in the former Hotel Nicolai, which serves as a pied-à-terre for an Italian family.
Nicolai Paris is located in a converted hotel
The renovation involved designing the layout of the two-level home, then adding playful furniture elements that help to optimise the functionality of each space.
"We started by defining the final atmosphere of the future apartment," explained architect and NOA co-founder Lukas Rungger.
The Le Marais apartment has a completely custom interior
"It was essential that the space would feel cosy, 'hyggelig', and convey a feeling of wellbeing," he told Dezeen.
"The choice of interior layout, materials and geometry all serve this purpose."
A mix of terrazzo and parquet flooring helps to define different zones
Built in the 17th century, the property has plenty of quirks. What's particularly unusual about this apartment is that it has an L-shaped layout, with most of its windows located at one end.
As a result, it made sense to locate the family living spaces here, nearest the entrance, and two large bedrooms in the back.
A curved line is defined by flooring, walls, lighting and furniture
A staircase in the centre of the floor plan leads up to a snug and a third bedroom on the smaller attic floor, which are both lit by skylights rather than windows.
To avoid creating wasteful corridors, NOA used two different floor surfaces to subtly mark the distinction between rooms and the connecting spaces in between.
Custom oak furniture pieces include an in-built window seat
A strong curve of terrazzo cuts through the living space, which is defined by bleached oak parquet in a chevron pattern, known as French herringbone. This divides the room into two "islands".
The larger island contains a lounge, dining area and kitchen, while the smaller one is occupied by a single piece of in-built furniture, providing a window seat and shelving nooks.
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The terrazzo curve is emphasised by other elements, including a screen wall beside the entrance and a partition wall that encloses a cloakroom, laundry room and toilet.
It is also matched by lighting fixtures overhead and the organically-shaped staircase.
A double-curved staircase leads up to the attic
"The layout of the interior spaces was definitely the biggest challenge," said Rungger.
"We wanted to create a space of comfort within a bigger space," he explained. "Each island is a space within a space, intimate in itself but in dialogue with the rest."
Beds are set on oak platforms and defined by oak wall panelling
Custom oak furniture features in every room. The beds are set on tiered platforms, continuing the islands concept, while the dining table is framed by an upholstered L-shaped bench.
Marble is also dotted throughout. A grey-blue Bardiglio Imperiale features in the kitchen and around the fireplace, and the main bedroom boasts a bathtub carved from a single block of Botticino Fiorito.
An attic room can be used as a snug, study or home cinema
"We wanted to reflect the elegance of the Parisian ambience in the flat," said Rungger.
"The colours of the Parisian rooftops influenced the choice of fabrics and marble colours, especially in the living area."
Bathrooms and washroom feature mosaic tiles in varying shades of gray
NOA has offices in Berlin and Turin, so typically works on projects in other parts of Europe. The studio recently completed a hotel and wellness centre and a glacier-top viewing platform, both in South Tyrol.
With this project, they hope to show a more craft-focused side to their practice.
"From the furniture's roundness to the staircase's double curvature, we have consistently drawn a line that fluidly touches the whole flat," added Rungger.
The photography is byAntoine Huot.
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#all #interiors #residential #apartments #france #paris #parisapartments #noa
Takk perches communal bedroom on stilts in Madrid apartment renovation
Spanish architecture studio Takk has pulled back the walls of an apartment in Madrid to create an outdoor terrace alongside an insulated space that contains a bedroom on stilts.
Takk removed all of the 110-square-metre flat's interior walls to create a new 60-square-metre space enclosed with insulated pinewood walls, dubbed the winter house.
This space contains an open-plan kitchen and living room as well as a self-enclosed bedroom perched on stilts, which is designed to be shared by a couple and their young daughter.
Takk has pulled back the walls of a Madrid apartment to divide it into two spaces
Both the bedroom and the flat's new exterior walls are made from low-carbon, heat-retaining materials, with pinewood frames sourced from Spain's famed winemaking region of La Rioja and insulation made from duvets and charred cork.
Takk nested the spaces in the winter house inside each other like the "layers of an onion" to retain heat and conserve energy during the colder months.
Alongside the apartment, the studio created an exterior terrace by relocating the external walls and removing the previous north-facing windows.
The apartment's self-enclosed bedroom is raised on stilts
Named the summer house, this space is connected to the inner areas of the home by sliding glass doors.
According to the studio this arrangement eliminates the need for air-conditioning by passively cooling the interior and helping to lower the apartment's carbon emissions in operation.
Its door is hidden inside a book shelf
"Climate change will modify all the routines of our existence," Takk co-founder Mireia Luzárraga told Dezeen. "The way we think and build our environments should also adapt to this new situation."
"The project tests possible ways of organising a house to minimise energy consumption while using materials with a low carbon footprint."
From the outside, the door leading to the apartment looks like any other in the residential block. But on the interior of the flat, the entrance is hidden inside a built-in shelving system that runs along one side of the winter house.
Surfaces throughout the apartment are clad in cork insulation
A similar storage wall is mirrored on the other side of the open-plan space, forming a low counter that functions as a kitchen worktop on one side and a dining table and work desk on the other.
Like most surfaces in the winter house, this is almost entirely clad in blackened cork panelling, which stores carbon and holds onto heat in the winter due to its colour and porous structure.
In contrast, the summer house external space is finished with cement mortar, which doesn't hold onto heat from the sun during the warmer months.
An open-air terrace lies beyond the apartment's pinewood walls
This outdoor area consists of a narrow plant-filled porch that runs along the apartment's entire north-facing wall to maximise natural light.
At one end, it opens up into a covered terrace, separated from the interior by a pinewood wall with a row of tall vertical vents that can be opened to create a through-draft.
In summer, the space can be shielded from the sun by an aluminium-foil thermal curtain normally used in greenhouses, while folding glass doors allow it to be turned into a kind of winter garden once temperatures drop.
A communal outdoor bathtub is hidden behind a sheer pink curtain
On the other side of the folding doors lies a balcony housing a speckled bathtub, which is shielded from view only by a sheer pink gossamer curtain.
This bathroom is designed to be used only in summer and by multiple members of the family at the same time, much like the open-plan living area and bedroom.
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"The aim is to test the benefits, both energetic and emotional, of sleeping, playing or working together," said Takk's other half Alejandro Muiño.
"In the past, rooms used to be bigger because they were communal and easier to heat. We want to recover this popular knowledge that was forgotten due to the emergence of cheap energy."
Vents in one of the terrace's walls can be opened to create a draft
The stilted bedroom is the warmest part and the centrepiece of the home contained within the cork-panelled winter house and fitted with an extra layer of insulation in the form of duvets.
These are strapped to the outside of the pinewood box alongside garlands of fake flowers, while huge stones from a quarry outside Madrid dangle from the ceiling, acting as a structural counterweight to prevent the thin wooden panel from bending.
On the inside, the bedroom is entirely panelled in pinewood and split over two levels.
The pinewood bedroom has two different levels
"The advantages of sleeping together are countless, both for climatic and energy-saving reasons and for the reinforcement of emotional links," Takk explained.
"Elevating the bedroom also allows the kitchen to be more present in the daily routine of the residents because it is visible from any part of the house, which helps fight the gender and class cliches associated with these kinds of spaces."
The bedroom is fronted by sliding glass doors
Although elevated rooms such as this are rarely found in interiors, a number of architects have raised entire homes up on stilts in a bid to tread lightly on their surrounding environment.
Dezeen has rounded up 10 of the most impressive examples, from a cork-clad cabin above a tidal salt marsh to a summer house perched on the rocky edge of a Norwegian island.
The photography is byJosé Hevia.
The post Takk perches communal bedroom on stilts in Madrid apartment renovation appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #architecture #residential #interiors #apartments #spain #stilts #madrid #renovations #pine
The Whale apartment in Paris riffs on art deco design
Mirror, brass and simple geometries feature inside this Parisian apartment by local architect Clément Lesnoff-Rocard, which offers an understated take on art deco.
The 65-square-metre flat, nicknamed The Whale, is tucked away in the basement of a residential building in the city's 16th arrondissement.
The Whale apartment is located in the basement of an art deco building in Paris
According to Lesnoff-Rocard, the apartment had undergone a renovation in recent years, leaving it with "perfectly tasteless" interiors that were a pastiche of the building's original art deco style.
Most of the rooms also seemed dark and cramped, the architect explained, with unsightly plasterboard used to conceal the home's technical systems.
Knocking through a false ceiling revealed the apartment's concrete framework
Given carte blanche by the client, Lesnoff-Rocard completely stripped back the apartment by rendering a majority of its surfaces white and tearing down its false ceiling, revealing a network of unexpectedly chunky concrete beams.
"The disproportion between the enormous size of these structural elements and the smallness of this apartment sent the space to a much larger dimension," he explained.
"It's like we were hidden inside a much larger, surreal animal."
This contrast in scale is what ultimately gave the project its name, The Whale.
Marble, mirror and brass are used across the apartment's standout features
Lesnoff-Rocard used brass, mirrors, coloured marble and geometric shapes to subtly incorporate the building's art deco beginnings into the interior.
"My first intuition was obviously to work from the DNA of art deco, not by literally copying it like the previous renovation had done but by questioning it in today's context," he explained.
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The doors that lead through to the sleeping quarters are clad in mirrored panels while storage cabinets are crafted from reflective brass and one of the structural columns has been replaced with a block of pale blue marble.
In the living room, spherical pendant lights with half white, half black shades have been suspended from wires strung across the ceiling.
The kitchen can be found behind gridded partitions
Behind graphic gridded partitions lies the kitchen, where the same blue marble has been used to create a breakfast island.
A number of features in the apartment also nod back to the project's name. Among them is a circular shuttered window connecting two of the rooms, which can be opened and closed to "blink" like a huge whale's eye.
A shuttered circular opening is meant to resemble a whale's eye
Clément Lesnoff-Rocard established his eponymous studio in 2015.
Other projects by the architect include The Island, a double-height home in the Parisian neighbourhood of La Défense that is arranged around a central courtyard.
_The photography is bySimone Bossi. _
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#residential #all #interiors #apartments #france #paris #parisapartments #artdeco #clémentlesnoffrocard
Selling Luxury #Apartments Where #OliverTwist Once Asked for Gruel
source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/23/business/dickens-condos-oliver-twist-workhouse.html
In a #city beloved by wealthy real estate investors from around the world, the plan makes financial sense, but this may be the most benighted condo conversion in the #history of condo conversions, with problems that go far beyond constraints placed on how the building can be altered. The property includes land that in the 18th and 19th centuries served as a pauper’s graveyard. Last year, archaeologists started exhuming bodies, roughly 1,000 in all.
#finance #London #UK #poverty #life #profit #apartment #money #investor #humanrights #capitalism #news
Apartments in Illkirch - Graffenstaden / Tectône
© Cyrille Lallement
- architects: Tectône
- Location: 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France
- Project Year: 2020
- Photographs: Cyrille Lallement
- Area: 2023.0 m2
