Utrecht-based studio Zecc Architects has completed this railway house project in collaboration with ZW6 Interior. The project involves the transformation and expansion of a railway cottage next to station Santpoort-Noord. The railway house is on one side bordered by the railway line between Amsterdam and Ijmuiden and on the other side by the National Park South Kennemerland.
From the architect:Â This former Railway House, built in 1867, is almost brutally shot through with a large Cortensteel volume. On two sides an extension is achieved with hard lines and large glass surfaces, which focuses on the surrounding greenery. The small Railway House literally breaks through its ancient walls outside and provides new insight into landscape. The old railway cottage is on the inside almost unchanged.
The remains of numerous alterations have been removed, leaving a pure and characteristic brick cottage. This old section provides security and simultaneously connects all contiguous open spaces of the house. From the middle of the house you will experience long sightlines and a waterfall staircase connecting the various floors. On the east side a volume is added to the entrance and the living room. In the basement you can find the sleeping area with bathroom. By making the extension narrow and elongated an intimate patio is created on the south side, covered with shells.
On the west side the expansion is oriented in the width. This dining room is linked to the kitchen in the old Railway House. In the Railway House exciting reversals between inside and outside arise.The outside of the house is the interior for the dining room and the patio looks mostly an interior space. Old elements and new additions alternate each other surprisingly. Hard materials meet the gentle atmosphere of the old house. In the interior this variety continues.
Design classics combined with found objects, a persian carpet on the hard untreated concrete, a surfboard next to the dining table and a series of remarkable plants throughout the Railway House. You also can find an extraordinary art collection which gives every space a special and unique atmosphere.
Architects: Zecc Architecten / ZW6 Interior Design
Project: Railway House
Location: Velsen, The Netherlands
Project Architects: Marnix van der Meer, Steven Nobel
Contributors: Bart Kellerhuis, René de Korte, Jeffrey van Schoonhoven
Area 190.0 sqm
Photographs: JR Works / Cornbread
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