A loft conversion in Malmø that began as a full-scale experiment in architectural theory, turned out to be a prime example of how an attic space can be transformed into a comfortable living space with daylight and a sculpturally divided flow of living zones.
Architect:
Photographer: Client/investor:
City:
Country:
Year of completion: Area: |
smog studio through architects Per-
Johan Dahl and Caroline Dahl
Torben Eskerod
Sound media artist Peter Palvén
and family
Amiralgatan, central Malmø
Sweden
2010
160 m2 |
| |
|
A loft conversion in Malmø that began as a full-scale experiment in architectural theory, turned out to be a prime example of how an attic space can be transformed into a comfortable living space with daylight and a sculpturally divided flow of living zones.
Architect:
Photographer: Client/investor:
City:
Country:
Year of completion: Area: |
smog studio through architects Per-
Johan Dahl and Caroline Dahl
Torben Eskerod
Sound media artist Peter Palvén
and family
Amiralgatan, central Malmø
Sweden
2010
160 m2 |
| |
| The VELUX roof windows and the refined built-in bookshelves provide the room with a strong expression.
Loft P is situated on the top floor of a building on the outskirts of a quiet, residential neighbourhood in central Malmø. On one side there are anonymous, pale coloured blocks of flats from the early 1930s and on the other, a noisy main thoroughfare. If it were not for the VELUX roof windows, which are hardly visible from the street, there would be no sign at all of the modern rebuilding inside the discreet, moss-green block of flats.
Originally the owner, a Swedish media and sound artist, bought two small flats in the building immediately under the attic. Gradually, as room for work and children got tighter and more cramped, the idea of purchasing and converting the loft space instead of moving to another home emerged. The design concept of the loft conversion was based on the space itself and the client’s wish to work and live in the same flexible architecture.
The client had a friend who worked for the Los Angeles and Malmø- based architectural firm, smog studio, so they were hired to retrofit the unused attic space. The idea of living in the attic came from the dialogue between architect and client. With smog studio’s practice being in Los Angeles, sketching and daily discussions took place online with Skype and drafts sent by computer. The staircase from the entrance floor leads to the centre room in the loft, dominated by the staircase, the skylights and the multimedia furniture, rooms or zones somehow grow in both horizontal and vertical directions, adding a flexible continuity to the entire apartment.
The floors are the original ones, but all inner walls (partitions) have been built of plaster board. This creates the best option for architectural experimentation and conceptual flow and freedom of where the partitions can be placed.
The same white colour has been used on all surfaces except for the floor. However, a colour palette magically appears as many white-toned colours because of the different textures and surfaces (rough/smooth/reflecting/shiny). Combined with the light, this creates variations in white, with soft shadows that enlarge and enrich the spatiality.
In the centre room light from both sides (east and west) creates a vibrant, yet calm atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and long for a daylight shower or sunbathing session on sunny days. In the bathroom, the vertical cut of the window band extends the width of the room. Either automatically or manually operated, the roof windows allow natural ventilation to the ceiling, enhancing the pleasant feeling of well-being − you could almost say wellness − by letting light in and air out in the most natural way. Built-in, and consequently hidden, electrical installations make it possible to adjust and control not just the artificial light, but also sound and multimedia effects according to the needs and activities taking place in the attic. The staircase from the entrance floor leads to the centre room in the loft, dominated by the staircase, the skylights and the multimedia furniture, rooms or zones somehow grow in both horizontal and vertical directions, adding a flexible continuity to the entire apartment.
The floors are the original ones, but all inner walls (partitions) have been built of plaster board. This creates the best option for architectural experimentation and conceptual flow and freedom of where the partitions can be placed.
The same white colour has been used on all surfaces except for the floor. However, a colour palette magically appears as many white-toned colours because of the different textures and surfaces (rough/smooth/reflecting/shiny). Combined with the light, this creates variations in white, with soft shadows that enlarge and enrich the spatiality.
In the centre room light from both sides (east and west) creates a vibrant, yet calm atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and long for a daylight shower or sunbathing session on sunny days. In the bathroom, the vertical cut of the window band extends the width of the room. Either automatically or manually operated, the roof windows allow natural ventilation to the ceiling, enhancing the pleasant feeling of well-being − you could almost say wellness − by letting light in and air out in the most natural way. Built-in, and consequently hidden, electrical installations make it possible to adjust and control not just the artificial light, but also sound and multimedia effects according to the needs and activities taking place in the attic. The staircase from the entrance floor leads to the centre room in the loft, dominated by the staircase, the skylights and the multimedia furniture, rooms or zones somehow grow in both horizontal and vertical directions, adding a flexible continuity to the entire apartment.
The floors are the original ones, but all inner walls (partitions) have been built of plaster board. This creates the best option for architectural experimentation and conceptual flow and freedom of where the partitions can be placed.
The same white colour has been used on all surfaces except for the floor. However, a colour palette magically appears as many white-toned colours because of the different textures and surfaces (rough/smooth/reflecting/shiny). Combined with the light, this creates variations in white, with soft shadows that enlarge and enrich the spatiality.
In the centre room light from both sides (east and west) creates a vibrant, yet calm atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and long for a daylight shower or sunbathing session on sunny days. In the bathroom, the vertical cut of the window band extends the width of the room. Either automatically or manually operated, the roof windows allow natural ventilation to the ceiling, enhancing the pleasant feeling of well-being − you could almost say wellness − by letting light in and air out in the most natural way. Built-in, and consequently hidden, electrical installations make it possible to adjust and control not just the artificial light, but also sound and multimedia effects according to the needs and activities taking place in the attic. The staircase from the entrance floor leads to the centre room in the loft, dominated by the staircase, the skylights and the multimedia furniture, rooms or zones somehow grow in both horizontal and vertical directions, adding a flexible continuity to the entire apartment.
The floors are the original ones, but all inner walls (partitions) have been built of plaster board. This creates the best option for architectural experimentation and conceptual flow and freedom of where the partitions can be placed.
The same white colour has been used on all surfaces except for the floor. However, a colour palette magically appears as many white-toned colours because of the different textures and surfaces (rough/smooth/reflecting/shiny). Combined with the light, this creates variations in white, with soft shadows that enlarge and enrich the spatiality.
In the centre room light from both sides (east and west) creates a vibrant, yet calm atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and long for a daylight shower or sunbathing session on sunny days. In the bathroom, the vertical cut of the window band extends the width of the room. Either automatically or manually operated, the roof windows allow natural ventilation to the ceiling, enhancing the pleasant feeling of well-being − you could almost say wellness − by letting light in and air out in the most natural way. Built-in, and consequently hidden, electrical installations make it possible to adjust and control not just the artificial light, but also sound and multimedia effects according to the needs and activities taking place in the attic. The VELUX roof windows follow the rhythm and structural order of the wooden beams, some placed high and out of reach with only the blue sky as the motive, others hanging very low - almost like a porthole in a ship, just barely above water level – which make the surroundings appear as a distant and unobtrusive setting. The functionality and concept of the loft project were determined by the experimental interaction of partitions (sections of walls and ceilings) in order to create a flow and rhythm between the different zones that unite the different architectural elements into one coherent space. Only the dimensions of the owner’s double bed have been a fixed point for a functional division and planning of the space, creating privacy and as much flexibility as possible.
The overall use of mirrors, smaller glass partitions and dramatic cuts in the plasterboard walls add experiences created by light and shadow to the overall scenography of the loft. All original wooden beam constructions have been retained and the rhythm of the roof windows follows the rhythm of these beams.
The use of built-in bookshelves and a sliding door make it possible to hide or shut the private section completely off without the visitor ever knowing what is behind that particular wall. In this way, the division between what is considered mainly private and the zones that could be used for more public events becomes extremely useful and changeable when clients visit the work space or if the centre room is used for art performances or multimedia shows.
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