Palazzo Pneuma – an imagined appartement expansion to finally break out of the constricting boundaries of a too small appartement, on the first floor of a building. The mass of the above levels (with much more ceiling height and much more incoming light) seemingly compresses the space of the appartement below, and hence there is a feeling of being crushed by these masses. Also the ceiling height of this first floor is rather low and there is not much light… Hence the name Pneuma – for the immaterial spirit-like aspect of this added built entity: unbound from gravity, hovering over the roof like a tree house in a garden. The only space that would be usable is located over an building annex that lays on a lower level – this particularity became the leitmotif of this project. This is a location that is very exposed to views of the neighbours from all sides, hence the openings had to be veiled by an outer shell, a privacy screen, formed by a number of mirrors, reflective on their insides. Rain water that is collected from the roof surfaces will water plants that are surrounding the tree house.
