beekevoort_txt — vvv architecture urbanisme

The house is located in the small Steenbeek valley. The old farmhouse retains traces of the rural world, and its layout organizes groups of buildings, often agricultural, around courtyards and gardens. The project organizes the living spaces of the house around the outdoor areas, seeking to maximize the possibility of “outdoor living.” The outbuildings are reused as much as possible, and equal attention is paid to the outdoor spaces, whether covered or uncovered, and to the heated indoor spaces. By intensifying the use of each part, the farm and courtyard are truly lived in, and the large landscape can be enjoyed from all corners of the house.

The house consists of a main building and an annex that was used as a stable and barn. At the time, the inhabited parts were heated by stoves and fireplaces, while the animals were housed in the unheated part. The division is in a ratio of 1/3 to 2/3. We believe this division is still relevant in terms of the compact occupation of the house and the phasing of the renovations. It allows insulation work to be limited to the heated part, according to the box-within-a-box principle. The house is thus conceived as a compact object, whose use can follow the course of the seasons.

The flexibility desired throughout the seasons is also flexibility for a lifetime. In the proposed configuration, the spaces are easily adaptable, appropriable, and transformable. The basic structure is a compact house, but it can be enlarged, if necessary, in the unheated third. Thus, it is possible to imagine transforming the upstairs office into a bedroom or renovating the unheated space over a longer period of time. Here, too, we return to the organic functioning of the rural structure around the courtyard, where a room is added according to need.