![Notariaat / Atelier Vens Vanbelle - Image 1 of 17](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/56e6/28ba/0d27/a700/2555/newsletter/stringio.jpg?1361406120)
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Architects: Atelier Vens Vanbelle
- Year: 2009
Text description provided by the architects. The building site is situated at the end of a small street in the small village of Horebeke in the Flemish Ardennes, next to a restaurant. The view from the site is splendid: the landscape slopes slowly and offers an overview to an untouched agricultural area spread over two kilometers.
![Notariaat / Atelier Vens Vanbelle - Image 6 of 17](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/5689/28ba/0d27/a700/2546/newsletter/stringio.jpg?1360796641)
This kind of impressive landscapes asks for discrete admiration, just like the design assignment itself. A notary must be a building that establishes itself in a neutral way and it should be accessible for each type of visitor. We believe building in a landscape like this asks for the same kind of neutrality.
![Notariaat / Atelier Vens Vanbelle - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/56af/28ba/0d27/a700/254c/newsletter/stringio.jpg?1360796668)
This was translated in a rough brick volume which is semi-closed to the street side and the restaurant. The entrance to the building is marked by a white volume made of steel plates. Walking through this white volume, the visitor enters a corridor looking out over a patio on the right side. On the left side the corridor bends to the waiting room which opens cone-shaped to the landscape. The kitchen and the offices open in a similar way to the outside. The peaceful landscape is framed through the windows like colourful paintings in the white interior.
![Notariaat / Atelier Vens Vanbelle - Image 4 of 17](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/56b4/28ba/0d27/a700/254d/newsletter/stringio.jpg?1360796672)
The back of the building cantilevers over the sloping terrain. The staff can park under the building and the cars form no visual obstruction from within the building.
![Notariaat / Atelier Vens Vanbelle - Facade, Column](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/56bb/28ba/0d27/a700/254e/newsletter/stringio.jpg?1360796675)