From the street, this 2012 renovation by Personal Architecture cannot be distinguished from its neighbors in the Hague, The Netherlands. The combination of ambitious design visions and a large measure of trust from the client have resulted in a rigorous and uncompromising redesign, in which voids and split levels accentuate the full height of Den Haag’s typical row houses. In the back of the house, the load-bearing wall between the corridor and the living room is replaced with a steel construction. Four new floors with a net height of 2,4 meters protrude from this construction. These floors remain openly linked to the existing floor levels. The interplay of voids, the split-levels and the glass facade, all create a spectacular drama between interior and exterior on the one hand, and between the existing and new floors on the other. The intervention in the back of the house can be interpreted as a three-dimensional, L-shaped element of five stories , accessed by a new steel spiral staircase. The staircase brings a new dynamic between the different parts of the house and makes a separation between owners and guests possible. However, the rear reveals a contemporary glass facade and an open, updated interior.
