Apartment in Amsterdam is a renovation project of a duplex unit in an 85-year-old housing for a family of four, carried out by MAMM Design, located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Since they have not been brought up in Amsterdam where they have a lot of gloomy weather, the clients requested to have maximum sunlight in the 1,431 square foot (133 square meters) house. They also wanted to have a space where they can feel close by each other.

Originally, there is a skylight at the top of staircase which connects upper and lower floors. Though the staircase itself was filled with sunlight coming from the skylight, the stairs and walls around them prevent the light from entering into the other part of the house. We took away the stairs, walls and a part of the upper floor’s slab, so that the sunlight can spread into all over the house. At the same time, the void connects the family.

There is a symbolic tower-shaped element standing through the house. Kitchen, bathroom and toilets are packed into the tower, utilizing existing pipe box. We placed new grating stairs climbing around the tower to create some place to stay at various levels. With the new circulation and spatial device, the family can create and enjoy various scenes of their daily life.

Photos: Takumi Ota