House H / dmvA

House H / dmvA - Image 2 of 38House H / dmvA - Interior Photography, Shelving, BeamHouse H / dmvA - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeHouse H / dmvA - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeHouse H / dmvA - More Images+ 33

Houthulst, Belgium
  • Architects: dmvA
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  110
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Sergio Pirrone
House H / dmvA - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Chair, Beam
© Sergio Pirrone

Text description provided by the architects. Being the old mayor of the community of Houthulst, our client has a special relationship with the region of West Flanders and the village of Houthulst. During his tenure, he realized different architectural projects with the Dutch architecture studio Rapp+Rapp.

House H / dmvA - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Sergio Pirrone

After living there for decades, he got the opportunity to buy a small building plot at the back of the garden of his house. The plot was part of the park of a former convent and featured 2 oak trees and 1 beech tree. Limited by his tight disposable budget, the mayor initially intended to build a ‘turnkey house’ with a local contractor.  He requested dmvA to check the design technically and budgetary.  But dmvA started designing instead.

House H / dmvA - Interior Photography, Table, Beam, Chair, Facade
© Sergio Pirrone
House H / dmvA - Image 35 of 38
groundfloor plan
House H / dmvA - Interior Photography, Shelving, Windows, Door
© Sergio Pirrone

A simple detached house, designed on an orthogonal grid of 9 squares with a central patio next to a covered terrace, as a response to the streetside-south orientation and the large scale surrounding apartment buildings. To preserve privacy, all windows can be covered outdoor by floor to ceiling aluminium sliding shutters, referring to the typical rural barn doors.

House H / dmvA - Exterior Photography, Windows, Brick, Facade
© Sergio Pirrone

The principal was excited about dmvA’s proposal and finally built the house, staying within the budget.

House H / dmvA - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Chair, Countertop, Windows
© Sergio Pirrone

 Anecdotes:

  • Our client Joris Hindryckx has been awarded as ‘best mayor’ in Flanders for his realized projects during his mayor tenure with renowned Dutch architects Rapp + Rapp. Nevertheless, his first intention was to build a standard ‘turnkey house’
  • The floorplan is based on a grid of the typical patio houses from the Roman period, built on two orthogonal axes.
  • The edifice has been erected under a tent construction the contractor built to protect the timber roof construction in exposed pine beams, to the rain.

House H / dmvA - Exterior Photography, Windows, Brick
© Sergio Pirrone

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Cite: "House H / dmvA" 16 Apr 2018. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/892496/house-h-dmva-architecten> ISSN 0719-8884

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