Simplicity in Design, Architecture, Photography, Art and Living
Single family house, Belgium | Pascal François Architects
This house in Lokeren, northern Belgium, by Belgian studio Pascal François Architects, consists of a renovated old barn and a new two storey extension on the exact footprint of a previous house that had been demolished.
The top half of the new rectilinear part is elegantly cladded with ceramic panels that refer to the existing old stable block’s roof. The sober, closed street facade unveils a light and spacious interior that looks out to a long linear water surface that extends to the garden.
For a number of years, the Flemish government have allowed un-zoned buildings to be renovated or even to be rebuilt. The rules, however, are extremely stringent. With this project, we have tried to respond to this reality in a contemporary manner.
As the line of what is possible is so very thin, obtaining the building permit alone has taken two and a half years. The new habitable volume is built on the compulsory "footprint zone" of the old house, but extends towards the barn without actually touching it construction-wise. The purpose was to catch the light in the east. The result is an exciting symbiosis between old and new.
The barn determines the character of the site and of the building. Hidden behind a wooden "ribbon", a number of openings needed to be added. Further on, the ribbon is draped around the new house and finally becomes a usable terrace.
The upper floor of the house is covered with ceramic panels, the colour and the material referring to the existing barn’s roof. The remarkably sober and closed façade on the street side hides a very light and spacious interior, which derives its energy from a series of patios.
