This gabled extension to a brick house in the Netherlands was designed by Studio Prototype to mimic the shape of the original property but is clad in an entirely different material.

Dutch firm Studio Prototype, who has previously designed a houseboat in Amsterdam, oversaw a comprehensive renovation and extension of a house that was built in 1910 in the Dutch town of Duiven, for the third generation of a family to inhabit it.

The extension echoes the proportions of the existing building but is slightly misaligned to differentiate the old and new structures, and to create a view through a narrow window along the original house's facade.

"The characteristic house-shape of the existing dwelling was taken as a reference point for the new envelope," architect Jeroen Steenvoorden told Dezeen.

"By shifting the new volume slightly from the existing dwelling, a subtle connection is established between both with special views."

The architects chose to clad the extension's walls in narrow diagonal strips of stained western-red cedar that create a tonal and textural juxtaposition with the bricks facades of the adjoining structure.

"A distinction between the new volume and the existing one is realised by constructing the facade of the new volume from a fine pattern of battens, creating a playful tension with the heavy existing bricks," said Steenvoorden.

In some places the battens are spaced out to create screens, enabling partial views out while protecting the privacy of the occupants.

A windowless street-facing facade conceals an interior that instead opens up on the other corner, where it faces out onto the garden.

The glazed space is sheltered beneath an exaggerated eave that slants down towards the front door.

A section of the extension on the ground floor has been set back to create a sheltered outdoor verandah that can connect with the living room by pulling back two large sliding glass doors.

The entrance is set into an angled timber-clad porch positioned at the junction with the original house.

The steeply pitched roof is interrupted by a faceted chimney, which also incorporates a skylight that directs light into the centre of the interior.

Inside the extension, a living area is left open to improve the link with the original building and the garden on the other side.

One side of the space features a double-height void which stretches up to the angled ceiling and provides views of a mezzanine giving access to rooms on the upper storey.

The skylight projects light down through the void, while the large windows wrapping around the corner of the building help to further brighten the space.

Photography is by Jeroen Musch.

Project credits:

Design team: Jeroen Spee, Jeroen Steenvoorden
Project team: Gijs van Suijlichem, Titus Lammertse, Jan Paulus Hoogterp, Jan van der Schaaf