Chapel Converted to Residence by ZECC Architects
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.24.08
ZECC Architects, beloved of their conversion of a water tower into a residence, are at it again with this conversion of a Dutch chapel into a single family residence. In some ways it is a bit sad, when formerly public spaces get converted to private residences, but not every church can be converted into a bookstore or other public use, and this chapel is a bit less dramatic than the church that became the bookshop.
The before picture is nice
Love the cantilevered stair up to the organ (why do we have to do handrails anyhow?)
view back from under the organ. According to Materialicious, "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."
"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 perhaps paying homage to Rietveld’s nearby infamous Schroder House. The entire living area has been whitewashed, while the private spaces above were painted dark."
::Materialicious photos CORNBREAD WORKS
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maybe it's just me, but it looks like they destroyed the character of that chapel. completely.
i kind of like it. but, i'd have probably removed the organ and donated it to a church in need one somewhere.
why do so many christian churches have to be so dark, anyway? maybe more churches still being used as churches should be white-washed this way.
I hope the architects did something clever on the heating front - old churches weren't originally built with warmth in mind!
What I liked about the German church/bookstore was that it could be easily converted back were there a wish to do so. It doesn't seem to be the same with this. Of course, this chapel wasn't of the same diocesian or civic significance.
It's good to see churches being turned into something useful.
Holy eye strain, Batman.
Put some color up in that place, preferably some earth tones, or a cool cerulean.
It's a neat idea, and I don't think they destroyed the character any more than you'd have to, in converting a chapel to a house. I also think the organ is really cool (I'd love to have one in my home).
But I think the minimalist/goth sensibility they've got going is really annoying and pretentious.