This project is a case study for a single-family home on a plot with an old garage. The site is tucked into a street corner between row-houses and has an old 19th-century industrial brick façade. If the entire footprint of the plot were built up, large parts of the building would receive little to no natural daylight. One thing was certain from the beginning: we wanted to preserve the existing façades.

In essence, the project is a new-build inserted within the old garage walls. We designed a grid-based plan with concrete columns, rotated and positioned between the existing walls so that secluded outdoor spaces could emerge at different levels in the in-between areas. This approach also made it possible for natural light to reach every corner of the house and for all spaces to maintain a relationship with green outdoor areas we added.

The house consists of three levels and a large roof terrace. The ground floor contains bedrooms for guests or grandchildren staying over. Each room has access to a small courtyard located between the old walls and the new building, creating an additional layer of privacy from the street. A large circular staircase connects the upper levels. The first floor accommodates the main living spaces and kitchen, rising just above the existing walls to create broader and more distant views towards the surroundings. This level also includes several connections to the outside, including a street-facing terrace where the existing walls serve as a balustrade. On the second floor, the master bedroom, bathroom, and an additional terrace are located.

The main ambition of the project was to explore how a home could be built within a dense urban fabric while offering the qualities and spatial advantages of a freestanding house.