Jvantspijker has designed a sturdy cube shaped house in the center of Rotterdam. With its spatial 3-dimensional lay-out the building allows a modern family to meet the paradoxical demands of urban life.
Architects: Jvantspijker & Partners
Status: Built
The house provides community as well as privacy to its inhabitants and it is both connected to and sheltered from the street and the surrounding city.
The exterior of plain white bricks, encases a plan organized by split-level sections. The house is an urban monolith, albeit one glowing with interior life.
The design of the house answers a number of the client’s specific spatial demands: a gentle entrance sequence between public private space, a living room slightly raised above street level, kitchen and dining connected to the garden, a semi-private music room and a roof terrace.
These five ingredients have been interweaved resulting in a playfulcomposition organized around the spacious central staircase. Large windows across the corners of the house catch light from various angles and reinforce the spatial richness of the interior.
Jaakko van ‘t Spijker
Jaakko van ‘t Spijker obtained his master’s degree in Architecture, with distinction, at Delft University of Technology in 1996. He has worked with distinct architectural practices OMA and NACO and he was one of the founding partners of Sputnik architects. Jaakko set up the jvantspijker office to realize his vision of creating integral architecture with projects that radically enhance people’s experience and daily use of buildings and built environments.