This monolithic brick house occupies a plot on a typical Flemish lot development. By reinterpreting the rules on sloping roofs and cornice height, an ultra-simplified building was created. Apertures in the side walls reinforce the central circulation zone. The bricks used for the front façade are re-used at equal intervals in this area. A series of sliding doors on the ground floor enable the communal rooms to be closed off for privacy and opened up for continuity.

Whereas on the ground floor the purpose of the circulation zone is to link one space to another, on the first floor its job is to act as a buffer between the master bedroom and the other bedrooms. The separation of the upstairs rooms is reinforced by the introduction of the outdoor materials into the building and by retracting the glass facade behind the outer brick wall.

Photography:

Alberto Piovano