Project: Flanders House
Architecture: SAOTA
Project Team: Philip Olmesdahl, Joe Schutzer-Weissmann Nasreen Larney, Bobby Labrou & Valerie Lehabe
Interior Designer: Pieter Laureys
Contractor: Van Mourik Bouw
Landscaping: Wirtz International
Electrical Engineer: High End Electro
Location: Belgium
Year: 2024
Photo Credits: Adam Letch
This house, situated on a large, wooded lot in the Flanders region of Belgium, provided SAOTA with an opportunity to design a distinctive contemporary architectural object that would serve as a warm, outward-looking living environment while engaging meaningfully with its surroundings.
Master Plan and Layout
The principal components of the master plan include a main house above a basement parking garage and a separate pool pavilion with a home office. The house and pavilion are linked via landscaped courtyards, a structured system of koi ponds, and a swimming pool.
Exterior Design
The exterior design features a composition of solid cubes and interconnecting glazed voids, unified by a slender canopy that wraps around three sides to form outdoor terraces. Clustered vertical columns double as sculptural screens, adding a dynamic element to the facade.
Interior Layout
The client’s preference for traditional, defined rooms rather than an open-plan arrangement led to cellular interior spaces that open outwards onto the terraces and inwards towards a double-volume central atrium with skylights. This atrium serves as a focal point, providing natural light and a sense of openness.
Seasonal Adaptation
The Flanders house responds to the local climate by fostering an indoor-outdoor lifestyle in summer and an introverted, cozy environment centered around the atrium in winter. The way the rooms open to the terraces and atrium creates fluid transitions, inviting glimpses of the garden deep into the interiors.
Material Palette
The exterior façades feature a restrained palette of materials: slabs of Giallo D’Istria marble cladding on the walls, sandstone floors, and paneled Alucabond aluminum sheets along the fireplace, broken up by large glass panels. The contrast between the precision of the architectural detailing and the organic textures of the materials amplifies their inherent beauty.
Design Philosophy
The simplicity and formal clarity of Flanders House, both as an architectural object and as a tranquil living environment, aim to facilitate an authentic, connected relationship with its natural setting. This approach ensures that the house not only stands out as a distinctive piece of architecture but also harmonizes with the serene woodland landscape.
