a competition entry for collective housing in a suburban development (in collaboration with carton123 architecten and ifau, and plant en houtgoed).
1 – smaller common buildings divide the courtyard garden into two parts with their own character—a playground/meeting area in the southeast and a dense group of trees and shrubs in the northwest with a small swamp for rainwater infiltration.
2 – various means of access to the apartments and open floor plans allow for adaptability and different housing models.
3 – the two-story apartments with extended exterior spaces have a large potential for variation.
4 – a workshop with a laundry room activates the common courtyard.
5 – a variety of transition spaces between indoors and outdoors mediate between intimacy and openness.
6 – the simplicity of the construction method, the possibilities of varying typologies and the combination of architectural elements lend themselves to dialog and participation.
heulebrug is a competition for the construction of a family- and budget-friendly housing project for the community of heulebrug in knokke heist.
four residential buildings are grouped around a common courtyard garden and define clear street profiles to the west and east. the landscaped courtyard garden is integrated into the spatial sequence as a (semi-)public space connecting to existing open spaces. the permeability makes it possible to activate and enhance the adjacent public spaces without losing the intimate quality of the courtyard complex.
the buildings around the courtyard are identical in materiality and structural details and acquire specific qualities through the differentiation of the entrances and thresholds, according to their location and adjacency, as well as in relation to the respective type of dwelling. most dwellings are designed as duplex units, accessed by galleries and each with a generous outdoor space.
the courtyard as a common open space is surrounded by terraces, gardens, conservatories and various common meeting spaces. the residential areas extend into the courtyard, which become an extension of the apartment. the courtyard complex makes it possible to tightly organize the typology of the row house, expressed in the duplex houses, while freeing it from its current shortcomings and limitations.
a simple and serial construction method defines the buildings, a cavity wall construction in a continuous grid with a separate light structure added for the galleries, unheated areas and outdoor spaces. the reduction of heated interior spaces and the economy of the structure allow for a more generous dimensioning of the intermediate and the exterior spaces, thereby allowing for open spaces, even on the upper floors.
the project is conceived as an open and differentiated development process. the structures and qualities created provide the foundation for a variety of residential typologies and relationships that can be adapted in the future without compromising the overall integrity development.