Dutch studio Bloot Architecture has added a larch-clad roof extension to a 1950s summer house, featuring a glazed wall angled to frame views of the trees overhead (+ slideshow).
Bloot Architecture was tasked with creating an extra floor for the small mid-century holiday home, which is located the woods outside Hengelo, a rural town in the east-Netherlands province of Gelderland.
The project was named Transformation Forest House in reference to this leafy location.
Clad in planks of untreated larch, the faceted extension is weighted towards one side of the existing roof. A small section of the other side was left free to provide a terrace, which is accessed through a sliding glass door.
"The existing roof was already frequently being used as a secret place to enjoy the setting sun and the flora and fauna," explained the architects.
The base of the timber-framed extension lifts at an angle from the rooftop platform, projecting the large window wall skywards and mimicking the irregularly pitched roof of the brick building below.
This irregular form was dictated by local planning restrictions, which set out maximum roof heights and gradients.
"Hidden in the forest, a sculptural, compact and sustainable rooftop extension climbs out of the original structure and seeks its way towards the great vista over the open grassland enclosed by the forest," said the architects.
"The extension is situated within the leaves and feels like a secluded tree house."
A double bed is built into a raised wooden platform below the angled glazing, while a second bedroom is located at the opposite end of the extension.
The two bedrooms are separated by a narrow washroom with dark wood cabinetry.
The existing house was also refurbished to provide access to the new upper floor.
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Individual wooden treads hang on rods from a grey-painted I-beam that cuts across the ceiling of the living room and lead to the bedrooms in the roof space.
The home is heated by a wood-burning stove during winter months. Solar panels will provide energy during sunnier parts of the year and waste water will be filtered for reuse.
Photography is by Jeroen Musch.
Project credits:
Architecture: Bloot Architecture
Contractor: Mans bouw
Construction: Adviesbureau AC Dekker
