The design of this house arose from a critical dialogue with the client, in which the search for the meaning of living stood central. ‘What is the value of a house and what should it represent?’ The ultimate exercise was, besides merely making space for functions, to commemorate living.
Location: Zandhoven, Belgium
Function: housing
Surface: 240m², incl garage and terraces
Client: private
Start of project: June 2017
Status: date of completion December 2019
Architecture: Hans Verelst Architecten
Contractor: Stijn Grootjans
Stability: Peritas
Techniques: Peritas
Landscape: Leen Gyselinck
Pictures: Nick Cannaerts
The house appears as a carrier of life, where memories and events are created. With this abstract approach, the program was reduced to its minimum. Essential functions are determined and translated into an architectural composition in an almost uncompromising way and these functions are translated into stone volumes as ‘pillars’ of life.
These pillars are executed in masonry, with austere, recurring detailing throughout the project. They serve life and give it direction. The massive walls are also used to integrate the techniques. The geothermal heat pump and solar panels, hidden behind the thick roof edges, make the house a sustainable whole.
The open living area, around which the other functions are collected, is enclosed by a wooden roof that connects everything. The consequent use of the stone masonry and pavers, the hard-wooden floor, the fixed furniture in wood and the curtain wall, make a very legible house.
The appearance of the house is reminiscent of a stone ruin in which structural necessity survived time.
