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ARCHITECT'S OFFICE AND PRIVATE HOUSE KÜHNE

KÜHNE & CO, 2007-2009, Boomgaardsstraat 34, Rotterdam

ARCHITECT(URAL OFFICE):
Kühne & Co

PROJECT ARCHITECT:
Joost Kühne

BUILDING TYPE:
Self-designed houses
Office buildings

The Rotterdam architect Joost Kühne specializes in building on impossible locations and hidden spots in the city. In Boomgaardsstraat, on the border between the old and new city, he conjured an office-cum-home from an unpromising plot surrounded by car parks and the large-scale office buildings of Westblaak. Only by purchasing the air rights was it possible to build this ‘floating’ structure, consisting of a base containing the entrance, topped by a 54 metre long and a mere five metre deep section. The rear elevation abuts a parking garage and is completely imperforate; the street-facing front elevation is almost entirely of glass. Right at the top is a spacious apartment with roof terrace. Kühne has built dwellings on two other postage-stamp sites: Boomgaardhof 73 and Prins Hendrikkade 57.