Designed for Stephanie and Kevin and their two children, this cute residential home in Belgium by Atelier Vens Vanbelle combines brickwork, wood and fun in a 185 m² (1991.32 sqft) three story house.
Fun Family Home in Belgium by Atelier Vens Vanbelle
The following text description has been provided by the architects:
The plot is situated at the end of a dead end street in the municipality of Haaltert, Belgium. Next to the plot the landscape begins to slope and you can enjoy a beautiful view.
At the side and the back of the plot there is a footpath that is used sporadically by hikers. On the plot there is sun all day long. The house is built with split levels, which creates intriguing relationships between the various spaces.
The living space was provided on the first floor, on a volume made of concrete blocks. Inside this plinth there was a spacious, semi-underground basement/work studio; half a level higher – on the ground floor – there is a covered outside entrance, an entrance hall and a storage room/laundry.
The living space is conceived as a stage towards the environment. The space is glazed on three sides, so the sun comes in all day long and gives you the feeling that you are in close contact with the environment.
To provide the necessary intimacy to this space, both floor, wall and ceilings were covered with wood parquet. Four white-washed wood cabinets were placed in the middle of this space. These are functional as supports but also provide privacy in the seating area.
The slim columns that support the private top level also form a subtle buffer to the environment. It is a space that perfectly balances between communal and private. Three bedrooms and a bathroom were integrated in the private yellow volume (the top floor).
From the open hallway you can enter the roof terrace. Through the window next to the terrace additional sunlight enters to the depths of the house. The building is highly readily materialized, so that the layered quality of the building is also visible from the outside. There is a dialogue between the house and its environment which makes daily life interactive without compromising the sense of privacy.
Plans:
The adorable Belgium home has been been nominated for a 2020 Brick Award for outstanding brick architecture.
