An old derelict farmhouse near the centre of Rotterdam,
came on the market as a building site. Van Leer recognized the quality of the
existing building and designed a plan to restore the old building, including an
extension that would bring back the original volume of the house. De rear part
of the farm had collapsed in the 1950’s.
The old house has been given a new foundation and has been
restored. On the front the building hasn’t changed, but behind the old building
is an extension in radical new materials. On the inside and the outside
materials have been chosen that have the same rustic quality and colour tones as
the original building bit are al in contrast: the old building is masonry,
painted wood and roof tiles, the new part is untreated wood, slate and steel.
The extension is covered with an open wood cladding, the
cladding is continued on the windows in the form of shutters with the same wood
and the same rhythm, thus rendering an abstract continuous form. The extension
is a “shadow” of the old building.