Refurbishment of an attached house in the suburbs of Leuven. An attached two-storey house with two apartments, a studio and a double garage with technical rooms on the ground floor is converted to a spacious single-family home with a studio for the owner's upholstery business. In time, a possible separation of the upper level, as independent studios, can be organized.
In the street, the façade is reduced to its essentials and the only new feature is the high gloss blood-orange door which distinguishes the house. When entering the home from this point, one experiences the layering of the house.
The front façade on the ground floor is the first layer. During the day, the glass windows reflects the light and by nightfall they become transparent. The first layer is already achieved; glass, mounted on wooden frames, and the blood-orange front door form the thermal buffer between outside and inside.
On the first floor, the window frames are invisible by placing the joinery behind the massive façade. This makes them appear as holes in the façade. The facade is traced back to its essence, stately and dignified.
In the interior, a second layer is provided to filter the degree of transparency, even when the light is burning inside. This filter is made out of fine steel shutters with structural, translucent glass or out of layers of different fabrics.
The studio, bike storage and the entrance hall are the next gradient.The entrance hall is shielded from the street so that the residents can circulate privately between the rooms.
The upholstery studio is in direct relation to the front yard. Thisinvites people to look inside and they get acquainted with the work of the lady of the house.
The following filter, positioned between the studio and the dining area, is made by a large aluminium sliding door, with texturedglass. This translucent wall filters the view so that the residents can control their privacy betweenthe dining area and the street façade. Behind this sliding door, the dining area and the kitchen stand in direct relation to the garden.
In contrast to the specific request of the clients, a new construction was notdesigned for the program – kitchen, dining, living space. Instead, the idea was to work with the existing qualities which meant that there was no need to extend the existing building. The ground and first floor are strongly related to each other by spreading the program over the two levels and by breaking out a part of the intermediate floor to create a double-height living space.
The vertical link is enforced by the large bay window in the backside. This vertical relation is literally enhanced by the fine steel staircase that connects the levels with each other. It allows the residents to freely circulate between the dining and living area. The perception of the levels as one whole is therefore increased.
The terrace is directly accessible from the kitchen. This way it’s an annex of the kitchen during the summer. The shape of the terrace presents itself as an island in the green garden to create a place to enjoy.
The rear facade is clad with dark-grey stained wooden boards, installed diagonally on one single plane with large openings inserted. The new window layout contrasts with the glazed gallery of the original design. The staircase has been moved inside to maximize space in the back garden. The frames are a mixture of steel profiles and varnished wood in the windows.
As specific as the feature of the layering of the ground floor, the fixed furniture is also custom designed and realized. The concrete kitchen, with birch plywood cabinets, is custom made for the residents. The use of polyester in the two bathrooms makes it possible to achieve the bath, shower and sink in one movement.
