Artist studio where mineral and herbal merge.
The architecture of Marc Corbiau provides ample space for spacious living. Architecture provides and offers the owner the freedom to find the right and private 'interior' to live in. This project is a privilege in which architecture becomes space, projecting the play of light from within, like an interacting mirror, reflecting nature, open space and the intimacy of living.
The quietude that originates in the proportions of the volumes; the simplicity of the concept and the visible use of natural materials make the architecture of Marc Corbiau condition generative, set against the echo of the harmonious coexistence of life, art and elusive beauty.
The architecture of Marc Corbiau is never put on a pedestal, 'on display'. Architecture is literally a quest for materials and proportions that bring harmony to the environment.
His privileged projects, often located in the outskirts of urban, green areas where the vast nature and landscape may virtually be regarded as 'sublime', are remarkable in size but can never be regarded as ostentatious sculpture-architectures, considering Marc Corbiau's strong awareness of the embedding of his buildings. Although his handwriting is rooted in Modernism, his buildings remain humbly opposed to the landscape. He does not think he is an artist, but he’s a facilitator for light, space and art.
The natural colors of the materials make up the restricted colour palette of the architecture, which as a direct result, radically shuns chromatic 'maquillage interventions', in favor of an architecture that defines its appearance by the way in which te building has 'substantially' been constructed and therefore 'is' and 'becomes'.
Corbiau describes himself as an architect of walls. Walls that are monumentally arranged and fit to be put in constellations which function as planes that generate peace and intimacy and allow one's gaze to collide with volumes from which the incident light elicits an ephemeral tactile effect.
The volume houses the workshop of Sophie Cauvin, a Belgian artist, well known for her earthly matter-painting and sculptures. Marc Corbiau was asked to realise a studio in the original sense of the word: a place where the artist can create and reflect in peace. A well-balanced place that brings you back to the essence. The physical act of creating usually takes place on the floor of the studio. For that practice Corbiau created a bespoke environment: a studio bathed in natural light, conceived as a retina between the wild nature and the intimacy of the house.
The exterior carries the typical Corbiau signature: a geometric composition of open and dense volumes that are harmoniously pushed together. The exterior cladding in rough 'pierre de Vals' appeals to the brutal, physical strength of the work of Sophie Cauvin. But the quartzite also tells her fascination with minerals and their earthly energy. The stone also refers to the natural power of the trees and the plants from the garden, designed by landscape architect Piet Blanckaert.
From the inside, wherever you look, your gaze is blown away by the immense bay windows, losing itself across the tree tops, far beyond the terraces. In doing so the boundaries of the house have been moved elsewhere. Lines between inside and outside are blurred away. The building has been conceived as a suite of light and space. A graphical score, delineated by three successive ‘light streets’. Corbiau wanted to avoid shadow reigning the place. Natural light penetrates this studio house like a zenithal river.
Here the starting point is the monumental beech, which you can see from the studio on the ground floor in full glory. The tree is like a prayer. Sophie wanted a bold house that emphasizes the inner strength of that tree.
