Our volumetric studies led us to create a plan that provided for two generous residences with a garage in what was previously green space. The building that housed the meeting space at the rear was to be torn down to make space for back gardens for the residences situated in front. What was previously the reformed church, ‘The Groenland Church’, would be transformed into a residence. The church designed by deacon-scribe Groot, overseer and miller, and was built in 1891 in the record time of three months. The church was finished on the 2^nd of August, 1891. The building itself displays an eclectic architectural style, with both neo-gothic and neo-renaissance influences.

The church will be transformed into one generous loft residence that will preserve the spacious quality and feel of the original church, while at the same time creating sufficient cozy, small-scale and intimate spaces.

The approach we devised to do so involves the placement of a ‘box’ within the church. This box houses all of the supporting and more private functions of the residence, while still maintaining the spaciousness of the church. In sliding the box against the adjacent building, we are able to make use of natural ventilation for the bedrooms, etc. The box is designed in such a way that the traffic areas of the residence also have a function – housing workplaces and storage space, for example. We designed the routing and staircases to create an ‘architectural route’ that leads you through the church and offers an ever-changing perspective of the gardens and the church. The route ends on the second floor, culminating in the bathroom. Here, the beautifully placed bathtub sits just in front of the rose window on the façade of the building.

By opening up the rear-facing and greenspace/garden-facing façades in several places with the addition of glass, a strong link to the gardens is created. These glass walls are intended to provide a contemporary element and their abstract form is consistent with the rhythm of the existing church windows.

Tags:

Herbestemming, transformatie, monument, kerk, renovatie, interieur, >500 m², Edam, Nederland