This family home in Brussels balances rawness and refinement
A family home in the southern suburbs of Brussels, courtesy of Nicolas Schuybroek Architects, combines a discreet presence with functionality and minimalism
Located in the southern outskirts of Brussels, in the leafy suburb of Grez-Doiceau, this residence is the brainchild of Belgian architect Nicolas Schuybroek and his young studio. It was also the first ground-up, new build house for the dynamic firm, which was set up less than ten years ago.
The project, a home for a private client who was after a distinctly contemporary structure in a part of town mostly dominated by a more conventional housing stock, presented a series of challenges – such as fitting in within its locale, both in terms of planning permission and neighbourly relations, and ensuring everything in the fairly generous programme works harmoniously within a single level, as the client specifically asked for flat, single level living. The last also helped drive the solution.
‘The single storey concept allowed us to solve different issues,' explains Schuybroek. ‘The volume didn’t block the views of the neighbours, allowed for a very discreet integration within the natural surroundings and gave our client a range of perspectives on the forest landscape and the golf course beyond.'
Schuybroek's series of volumes stretch out the floorplan into a sequence of interconnected pavilions. Courtyards and openings are interspersed through the layout and floor-to-ceiling glazing and windows at strategic places establish a strong relationship between indoors and outdoors. ‘You don’t discover all the different aspects at once, all the views it takes in,' says the architect. ‘The effect is to create different experiences within the same house.'
The volumes are clad in a light coloured, unifying grey brick, which almost blends in with the sky, enveloping the structure in a certain softness. ‘The grey brick was a revision of our initial idea, concrete,' says Schuybroek. ‘Instead, we used a raw grey brick, with joints in the same color, and brush-spread the grout over the brick. It has the solid feel of concrete but much more texture. It’s raw and refined at the same time.'
INFORMATION
ns-architects.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Aston Martin DBX707 SUV is updated with a new interior and infotainment
The new Aston Martin DBX707 has better tech, better design but the same raw power, keeping its spot at the top of the ultra-SUV tree
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Dark watches show it’s time to embrace an inky palette
Discover new dark watches from brands including Audemars Piguet, Omega, Chanel and Tudor
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Maruni's new collections combine Japanese skills with humble functionality
Presented at Salone del Mobile 2024, Maruni's new collections include furniture by the brand's art director Naoto Fukasawa as well as Cecilie Manz and Jasper Morrison
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Bruges Triennial 2024 takes over the city with contemporary art and architecture
Bruges Triennial 2024, themed 'Spaces of Possibility', considers sustainability and liveability within cities, looking towards a greener future
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Interior sculptor’ Christophe Gevers’ oeuvre is celebrated in new book
‘Christophe Gevers’ is a sleek monograph dedicated to the Belgian's life work as an interior architect, designer, sculptor and inventor, with unseen photography by Jean-Pierre Gabriel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A Belgian house in the fields blends subtle minimalism with family life
House in the Fields by Stef Claes is a family retreat in the green Belgian countryside sprinkled with a US modernist architecture twist
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
House P’s linear, leafy composition aims for a ‘sensory architecture’
House P by Vandenborre Architecten is a family home conceived as a leafy sanctuary of minimalist elegance in suburban Belgium
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This 1970s brutalist house in Belgium has a new life as a designer’s home and studio
1970s brutalist house Villa Stuyven is now home to creative couple Bram Kerkhofs and Lore Baeyens, providing a concrete-lined backdrop to a life of design and collaboration
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Step inside the Pringiers family’s rural retreat in Belgium
Belgian architect Glenn Sestig’s latest project for the Pringiers family is a rural retreat and private gallery featuring an award-winning concrete construction
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Extraordinary escapes: where would you like to be?
Peruse and lose yourself in these extraordinary escapes; there's nothing better to get the creative juices flowing than a healthy dose of daydreaming
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Restored Villa Nisot in Brussels brings modernism to the 21st century
Restored Villa Nisot in Brussels updates modernism with contemporary character
By Siska Lyssens Published