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Architects: STAARC ingenieurs en architecten
- Area: 180 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Bram Tack
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Manufacturers: Wienerberger, Aliplast, Bomarbre, Thermowood
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Lead Architects: Lore Verheyleweghen, Jan Vanderstraeten
Affordable, yet energy-efficient at the same time
To provide a young family with a compact and affordable home, while in the process paying a great deal of attention to making it energy efficient, was the task facing the Staarc architects. The solution: creating a dynamic home wherein the dominant note is sounded by unobstructed, wide-open space and with a clear view of the rural surroundings.
SJ Home
In order to create this sense of unrestricted openness and a feeling of all-round breathing space, all rooms inside this home are concentrated around an open area. This not only provides a wide-open view but furthermore promotes and facilitates interaction amongst the home occupants. In addition, the traditional boundaries that normally separate the different floors are being blurred through the introduction of split-levels.
In order to make this home future-proof, the architect and homeowner devoted a great deal of attention to the insulation, with a focus on air sealing and air tightness. Furthermore, the heating system is operated by means of an air-to-water heat pump that is connected to the floor heating. And, as a final touch, the use of solar panels provides the assurance that this is, indeed, a fully energy-efficient home (with an energy efficiency value of 18).
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Central to the home’s architectural design is the open space which connects all rooms with each other and via large windows admits plenty of natural daylight. Note the floor in poly-concrete, which creates an industrial but, nonetheless, homey atmosphere.
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The introduction of split-levels ensures that the living spaces receive higher ceilings and that the interaction with the other rooms is enlarged. Besides the ground-level floor, likewise, all ceilings are constructed out of concrete.
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This home is characterised by the simple materials used in its construction, with the main emphasis, aside from concrete, placed on wood and red facing brickwork.
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By varying the position of the facing brickwork pattern between the horizontal and the vertical, the architect managed to introduce a light-hearted touch to the whole structure.
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Inside and around the bedrooms, the wooden floorboards inspire a feeling of cozy warmth. The wide-open space is maintained up to the roof apex.
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The owners selected a subtle, yet character-filled green colour for the bathroom fittings. This is not only evident in the bathroom tiles but recurs also elsewhere in the home, notably in the kitchen installations and furnishings.
