DB Residence
On the location of a typical old Flemish farmhouse/ farmstead, in the middle of Flanders’ rural beautiful area, in the fields aligned with willows and poplar trees, the client wanted to create a new home for him and his family.
The particularity of the site was its traditional location with its driveway hidden off the curve from the rural road, behind the old orchard and directly connected to the fields behind.
and typology of a small, old but unparticular farm Along the rural road, The lines of newly built private houses before and after the site resulted in an enclosed feeling with hardly any view to the beautiful landscape behind. An uninspired and unconcentrated urban planning would enforce newly built to follow the same building zones close to the road. Secondly, this standard solution would have neglected the DNA of the old farm house positioning would not relate to the typical gathering /grain of the urban planning in rural areas. Furthermore this solution would create more visual obstruction in the rural landscape for the people passing by and organize our client’s life between the neighbouring houses, rather than behind in the midst of the fields and views to the green around
The solution of respect with the old positioning in mutual understanding with the urban planners avoided the loss of such qualities and allows the project to blend in its natural environment …
If we relate the project to the typology of / and positioning of rural tradition, the internal spaces of farmhouses are never of an open plan but are yet directly connected with doors and halls … always functional and never aesthetical in conception … (in such architecture you will never have very big glazed facades as today standardly required) …
In consultation with the client we wanted to respect that and we would create an organization where spaces are connected and related with regard to its function towards the orientation. This defined the plan, the volumetrical and the circulation concept within and towards the exterior. In combination with the views one would be obliged to respect the views to the stunning landscape which leads to a defined positioning of the windows.
The result is a fragmented volumetrical approach – referring to the functional extensions at farms where over years volumes are added … yet in a contemporary way with a modernist roof rather than the typical 45 degree roofs in rural buildings …
with at first sight similar dimensions of windows and doors, but sometimes having small windows … for unexpected views … not always positioned as per interior, more towards the views on the landscape …
the material is “kalei” finished brickwork, traditionally laydout with bricks from the area (poor quality brickwork with mistakes and errors … ) this has defined the look and feel of the house … this defines the materiality together with the materials inside
On the inside the materials are of a utilitarian character and ”sober“ contemporary at the same time … wooden materials and concrete finished flooring would create together with the warm white plastered finish a tranquile atmospheres related to the tradition of a farmstead … brutalist and functional in its expression the house remains the focus on the green outside.
