After reading the recent article from Cool Hunter, I completely adored the renovation of converting a church into a living space by the Dutch architecture firm, Zecc. The decline in church attendance over the last several decades has meant that countless churches have lost their function. They are crumbling, demolished, or put to new uses. Their specific architectural features often fall by the wayside in this process. Not every church can be turned into a municipal exhibition hall, and if, for example, when a residential use is chosen, the original spatial qualities are usually lost. In this conversion of an old chapel into an apartment, Zecc carefully enhanced the character while respecting the original building. The chapel was part of a large housing complex of the Friars of Utrecht, which at its height, around the mid-20th century, housed 217 residents. The remaining 13 elderly friars, however, moved to a nursing home in 2005, and the complex was divided up and converted into about 40 apartments.
This was how the chapel looked like before.
This is how it looks like now.
The design team chose to keep many of the original features like the high gothic stained glass windows and the original choir organ. To allow more light to enter the space, they cut a Mondrian-inspired glass window into the front of the house facing the street. The entire living area has been whitewashed, while the private spaces above were painted dark. In conclusion, this place might be controversial, but it suggests a different approach in conserving the old fashion and culture to our society, and yet, it is very modern and stylish.
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