It was in this Dutch city that the workshop was founded in 1991, but there has not yet been a single building according to their design. However, even now it is possible to dispute the assertion that the situation has changed. The fact is that according to the project of the architects, only a small building has now been erected at the top of the reconstructed warehouse - a kind of house on the roof. And this definition is especially true in relation to the "Didden Village", as the project is named, because at the heart of its figurative language is an archetypal house with a gable roof, window and door. Three of these blocks will house the bedrooms for the family of designer Sjurd Didden - one for the parents, the other two for the children. They are installed on a 120 sq. m, surrounded by a parapet with glazed windows, through which children can follow what is happening below, on the street.
The space around the houses is enlivened by benches, tables, tree planters, garden tools - all of them, like the building itself, are painted blue. The azure polyurethane coating of the walls gives the building a fake, toy look, and also serves as a symbol of the sky. The new addition to the rebuilt warehouse, where Didden's workshop and apartment is located, stands out sharply against the backdrop of the urban landscape of Rotterdam, where dark red brick dominates as a building material. The architects believe that their version of the superstructure of buildings is very promising in the conditions of the historic city center, where the increase in population density will revive the old districts. Also, this method is much more economical than building new houses.
The Diddens can get into their new "wing" through two spiral staircases leading from the top floor of the old building.
