Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior PhotographyBraem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Exterior Photography, Windows, Door, Facade, Garden, CourtyardBraem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, Kitchen, BeamBraem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, ChairBraem House / Machteld D'Hollander - More Images+ 16

Wachtebeke, Belgium
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  125
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Stijn Bollaert
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Fermacell, Multiplex
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Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Exterior Photography, Windows, Door, Facade, Garden, Courtyard
© Stijn Bollaert

Text description provided by the architects. The transformation of a small, dark laborer’s house into a contemporary family house. The client, a preschool teacher, and her son stressed the importance of an open house with a lot of light. They also desired a ‘garden room’, a place to optimal enjoy the green from the long but narrow garden. All this had to be performed with a limited budget.

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, Windows, Door, Facade, Chair
© Stijn Bollaert
Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Beam
© Stijn Bollaert

The ramshackle annex is torn down but returns as a light wooden support structure that cantilevers to form two ‘bay windows’. The whole is wrapped by a wooden window assembly. The wooden structure determines the interior. Everything – functional or esthetical – is born from it:  a rack dividing two spaces, a bench, the kitchen furniture, or the wall pattern.

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography
© Stijn Bollaert

The high windows invite the light into the house as a contemporary version of the ‘Flemish veranda’, the perfect way to enjoy the outdoor indoors. Its articulation with the sharp indentation cuts it loose from the main house and transforms the annex into the desired garden room.

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Image 21 of 21
Isometric View

The charm of the original interior with triangular indentations reappears as a zigzagging wall of fermacell and multiplex. The structural steel beams with their red-brown color contrast with the soft colors of the other materials, defining the different spaces without interfering with light and sight.

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, Chair
© Stijn Bollaert
Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Image 19 of 21
Section 1-1

The use of raw materials gives a double meaning to the phrase ‘the worker has left the building’. Attention to detail like copper grips and warm materials like the cement tiles ensures all visitors will be assured he didn’t leave too early.

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, Facade
© Stijn Bollaert

Integration and transformation of structural elements into interior elements made it possible to reduce the number of materials used, thus allowing for a sustainable and budget-friendly renovation.

Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander - Interior Photography, Beam
© Stijn Bollaert

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Cite: "Braem House / Machteld D'Hollander" 08 Apr 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/979789/braem-house-machteld-dhollander> ISSN 0719-8884

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