MIDAS
An apartment building where curved concrete slabs communicate in an elegant way with the wood facade
The building is situated near the centre of Kortrijk. In the Middle Age the location was a toll gate and has a huge history. Since a few years the place was left abandoned. Old buildings had no functions and were dilapidated.
A clever investor contacted us to redesign the corner (with a cluster of 8 old building) into a high standard residence with character. The place is determined by a large intersection of large roads. The rough character of this setting was the starting point for our design. We had to build 16 apartments and a parking place on the site. Because of the rough atmosphere, like the bolster of a chestnut we used sharp bows for the facade, in contrast the interior of the through-sun houses has small curved corners and feels soft.
The ground level is large parking place, the first and second level have 12 units, 4 luxury penthouses are placed on the third floor.
The surface is made of concrete curved floor slabs and a sublime detailed balustrade that follows the curves. The inclined wood façade between the concrete slabs refers to the rhythm of the houses on the other side of the street.
With the typical form of the façade the long building has different characters from several views in the street. The building sits on a comfortable way in its corner and could be there since a long time.
The marriage of the sand coloured floor slabs, black balustrade and refined wood surface results in a beautiful landmark that has become a part of the collective memory of the neighbourhood and city.
