The recycling park in Kielsbroek was given an infrastructural scale to stand out amidst existing and future industry. The natural slope of the site was used to create an recycling area relatively higher than the waste containers, minimizing the need for moving soil. The site is demarcated by a canopy and staff building on one side and container retaining walls on the other. An oversized wooden beam connects the staff building with the canopy, and the long mast structure highlights the containers.

The staff building is organized as an enfilade of rooms connecting the reception and dining areas, with large corner windows overlooking the square. Two round drilled openings provide diagonal views on the comings and goings. The canopy also accommodates the reception area, public restroom, and ticket machine.

Elemental materials meet each other in surprising ways, providing a sense of casual recombination. The montage of prefab concrete, red industrial brick, laminated wood, and galvanized steel allows for circular reuse.

Text provided by the architects.

La entrada Recycling Park in Kielsbroek se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

Behind a typical row façade with a garage, a former warehouse is hidden in an overgrown urban building block. The regular rhythm of a concrete skeleton structure fills the entire ground floor of the narrow deep plot where living, studio and outdoor spaces run into each other. Two completely ground bays create a caesura between the main building and the rear building. By also cutting away the last bay, the space gets light through large sliding windows on both sides. In the centre of the five bays, an elongated opening is provided between two upright roof beams. Three metal grids slide over each other and allow the zenithal light to be filtered. The system, inspired by the cover mechanism of a packet boat, runs on wheels and can be operated manually via a ladder in the rear patio.

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La entrada G2006 se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

The existing house in the middle of the fields is very charming. It’s architecture does not interact with it’s context so it seems as if the house accidentally ended up there. This unique image was preserved. Some subtle interventions on the existing facade show that the house has been given a second life.The plan of each level consists of 4 equal squares. These were repeated in a new concrete volume that was built next to the house. The new volume is half-sunk into the hill so an enclosed yard at the back of the house is created. Only this part of the garden is finished en provides a private outdoor space. For the rest nature can take its course.

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La entrada Johannes House Extension se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

‘Tondo’ is a footbridge that connects two buildings of the Belgian Federal Parliament in the center of Brussels. The bridge was explicitly designed as a spatial element, rather than a technical solution. Named after the tradition of the ‘Tondo’, a circular Renaissance painting, the bridge is shaped like a ring, and suspended between the two buildings.

A generous walk around an enclosed outer space is not simply a corridor, but also functions as a meeting space. At the same time, the ‘detour’ allows the height difference of 90cm between the floors of the two buildings to be bridged using a single, wheelchair-accessible slope of 4%.

Towards the city, the bridge shows itself as a ‘closed’ element, in the tradition of, for example, the Bridge of Sighs. Coated with mirrored panels, it reflects the 18th-century facade of the Parliament building and its recent addition across the street. Upon closer look, the glazed opening reveals a subtle view of the passages between the two buildings. Structurally, the bridge is a stiff disc, and its floor hangs from the roof with a minimal presence of structure: a near ephemeral pavilion between the buildings.

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La entrada Tondo Bridge se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

In rural Wichelen, a detached house with a classic character received a thorough facelift. The crow-stepped gable, which was covered up because of moisture problems, was repaired and returned to its original state. Nothing else was touched on the outside, except the creation of new contrasting window openings at the rear of the house. The new, double-height window maximises the connection with the garden and the meadows behind, and distances itself from the neo-style through its size and detailing.

The most radical changes are found inside the house. The ceiling of the living space was removed to create a space that extends below the ridge. A mezzanine was created in the double-height space in direct contact with the living space and the kitchen. This new floor was designed in the shape of a disc and was made of on-site cast concrete. Special attention was paid to the supporting structure and the fastening method.

La entrada Lamat se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

At the back of the plot, on the border between the park and the garden, there is a G(arden)HOUSE nestled in the green environment.

A garden house conceived as a workspace but also as a HOME. Originally intended as a small woodworking studio, it temporarily functions as a compact dwelling during other construction work on the plot. Thanks to the open and flexible plan, it offers many future usage possibilities.

The simple and clear structural layering, together with the large window overlooking the garden and the view through to the park, creates a great sense of spaciousness. The main concrete structure extends like the branches of a tree over the floor plan and supports the wooden framework under the green canopy of the park and its surroundings.

The original garden of grass and fir trees is reorganized as a green extension of the park. The plot is thus made as permeable as possible and will become even greener in the near future. Simple, honest, and robust materials ensure a sober simplicity and a sense of tranquility.

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La entrada T(uin)HUIS Atelier se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

This single large room is dedicated to one function, to enjoy a private collection of art. Inserted in a steep slope of a garden of a villa in Brussels, the room connects the two different levels on each side of the building. On the higher level, the sliding door opens to a steel platform and a spiral stair that takes you down from the street level to the lower garden level. On the other side, a large window gives way to a roofed terrace overlooking the garden.

A reflective inclined roof negotiates its surrounding context by following the slope of the context. The negotiation between the simple concrete box inserted into the slope and the inclined roof makes a gap between the two, creating a perfect opportunity for taking in natural light. The room finally provides a simple yet comfortable double-height space, referring to the atelier typology with its shed roof.

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La entrada Art Room se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

The geometric design and the circular way of energetically performing building that characterizes BLAF is strongly present in this house. The wall structure with a self-supporting facing brick on the outside, a light timber frame on the inside, and filled with biobased dry lime hemp without a cavity is an alternative to the traditional cavity wall.

The cavity wall with a lot of insulation is no longer tenable as a building system. As a result, we came up with an alternative hybrid outer shell that makes reversible building possible. We first build an outer wall, and then a light timber frame inside, or vice versa. You can also break down the outer shell or the inner shell because they each stand on their own. We simply don’t calculate thermal bridges. That’s wasted time, we just don’t make any. So there are no connections between the inside and the outside. To do this, we needed a load-bearing outer wall from which you could detach the outer wall from the interior.

La entrada JTB House se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

On the site of the former Wivina monastery in Groot-Bijgaarden, on the border of the walled property, stood a dilapidated tenant house. A single story house with a gable roof and small outbuildings. An accompanying entrance pavilion allowed for private access through the monastery wall. The whole is part of the protected heritage site of the monastery, which had to remain intact during the renovation. At the same time, there was a need to create a distance from the walkers in the public monastery garden. The design departs from a simple gesture: the four walls of the house were preserved and restored, while one of the ends of the gable roof has been moved halfway outside the volume. In that way, a patio was created within the existing walls of the house, which created the desired distance to the public domain, and a new room was created on the other side of the house amidst the surrounding greenery.

La entrada Pachtwoning house se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

The Police Station designed for the municipality of Schoten is a study in informality and approachability. It places itself at the service of public space. The L-shaped building is pushed back to the rearmost edge of the large plot available and helps to define a new square. When entering the building, you walk into a space dominated by two atria, visually linked to each other. One atrium is accessible to the public and contains an open reception desk, the other is in use as a staff canteen. The atmosphere of openness is further enhanced by a footbridge visible to visitors and with numerous views onto workplaces. The choice of materials helps to create informality. High-grade materials have been avoided, everything has been built from concrete blocks and wood. A saving has also been made on technical installation: the ambient indoor conditions are regulated via natural ventilation and night cooling.

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La entrada Police Station se publicó primero en Global Spaces.