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Concept
An apartment in the attic storey of a heritage-protected back building from the late 19th century, situated in the centre of town, was going to be enlarged. The space under the sloping and bending mansard roof has its own charm and character, and this special constructional feature was utilized when the extension was drafted. Through an extension of the ogive, the original storey under the mansard roof is turned into a grand loft with atelier characteristics.
In the attic room several roof windows have been cut and their deep, sloping reveals interpret the themes of the mansard roof, excessively expressionistic, in a new way. The slopes of the reveals are facing eastwards and westwards and in the course of the day they channel light deep into the centre of the room. A preset piece of furniture, a "black box" with integrated bathroom, structures the otherwise open atelier space and surprises you with its bright interior.
Also the materiality is simple and reduced, living on the contrast of the bright, white case of the attic room set against the black piece of furniture, the even, flat surfaces against the living structure. The floorboards of solid larch, together with the raw materiality of the construction of the old trusses, bring a natural liveliness and warmth into the room: Simplicity and sensuality – less is more.
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The use of VELUX products in the concept
Old and new – Installation of VELUX roof windows in heritage-protected buildings
A special challenge in the design was to find a suitable form to deal with the planned extension of the living space with due consideration to the heritage-protected built volumes. The special conditions of the ogives with the low ceiling height in the centre of the room clashed with the wish for a bright, generous room and the best possible utilization through gain of ceiling height. As the demands for heritage-protection do not allow any cutting of the roof surface or constructions in form of dormers, they had to look for a compatible conversion form.
Daylight concept – different light moods during the course of the day
The design was shaped by focussing on the incidence of light during the course of the day.
Four roof windows were placed in the roof surface and their deep reveals act as large "light shovels". Their differing orientation towards east or west lets the room appear in ever changing light depending on the time of day and year. The deep reveals in the elevated construction create the requested ceiling height and generosity of space in the centre of the room. To optimize the incidence of light into the attic room the reveals have been installed at two sides in a sloping position which optimize the guiding and luminous efficiency of the light compared to traditional constructions: In the course of the day the light is led deep into the room.
More room and generosity of space
The special construction of the roof windows enables – quite in accordance with an economic optimization – gain of more space by making height and area under the windows useable. In this way it is possible to "reactivate" and upgrade space, which because of the geometry of the roof seemed to be unusable. Here under a roof window is even formed a new autonomous space unit, a small bathroom.
Construction and detail
A special construction, in form of a construction on stilts, in combination with a VELUX roof window is leading to an individual solution: The substructure made of a prefabricated timber frame to enlarge the depth of the reveal, carries the VELUX roof window unit. Simple reversible sashes measuring 78/160 cm and 134/160 cm were installed. Because the reveals are installed in a sloping position, the opening to the sky will be increased to 118/200 cm and 174/200 cm. The covering of the reveals is level with the frame construction and thereby stressing the clear geometry. To protect against the summer heat, exterior net awning blinds were planned for.
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