Completed in 2020, the Transformation House by Lautenbag Architectuur and De Stadsmeubelmaker is the conversion of a 1920s-era expressionist transformer house into a contemporary 25-square-meter hiker's cabin. Located just south of Wirdum in the Netherlands, the building had been empty for over 30 years and was scheduled for demolition before the current owner, Ronald van der Zwaag, conceived the idea for its transformation. The project sought to preserve the unique Dutch cultural heritage of the building while adapting it for modern use, offering a secluded retreat with views of the spectacular surrounding landscape. The architects expanded the small internal floor plan by adding three prefabricated steel bay windows to newly created openings. These bay windows, featuring cross-laminated timber on steel beams, use contrasting materials and detailing to both respect and enhance the existing expressionist structure with contemporary elements. The ends of the bay windows are filled with insulated glass, framing the landscape like paintings, while their sides are covered with galvanized steel panels with slats. The slats were designed to reference the cooling fins of a transformer and direct rainwater to the earth below. Inside, the interior is a unified wooden structure, functioning as a single large piece of furniture with clean, contemporary details. The original tiled floor was preserved, and light-colored materials were used to enhance the sense of space. The original chimney was repurposed with a glass cover to function as a skylight, and ventilation was integrated into the steel slats of the bay windows. The result is a hiker's hut that was saved from demolition and given new life for another century. Credits Architects: Diana Lautenbag (Lautenbag Architectuur) and Ronald van der Zwaag Interior Designers: De Stadsmeubelmaker Photographer: Bas Gijselhart