House BS by Graux & Baeyens Architecten
House BS is a traditional brick house located in Gavere, Belgium, redesigned in 2017 by Graux & Baeyens Architecten.
Description
The site is located in a valley at the intersection of a number of small meandering streets. The area is characterized by terraced houses on the east side, on the south side it borders the alluvial plain of the Scheldt and to the west one looks upwards on the vast old orchard.
This farm, which is included in the architectural heritage inventory, remained within the same family for three generations before it became vacant. It consists of a cluster of three volumes (dwelling, stables and the bread house) with a central square overlooking the facades of the terraced houses. These brick volumes with gable roof are very specific to the area in the use of materials, form and typology, but vary in size and layout in a very fascinating way. The extremely interesting variety of atmospheres, urban design grain, views and topology are the starting point for this assignment.
The design is further based on this cluster by providing two additional volumes with a gable roof. We limit the interventions within the existing volumes to the minimum by providing some openings where these are strictly necessary for circulation purposes. Two symmetrical wings are added on the west side of the main volume. The two new-build wings are twisted in relation to the existing home and in this way create a patio with an enclosed character. By not touching the two volumes, a passage to the garden is created in a simple way and the volumes remain visually strongly separated from each other, which reinforces the cluster principle.
Photography by Filip Dujardin
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- by Matt Watts
