PROJECT

showhome designed for a family of four

CLIENT

Multibat

ARCHITECT

Architectuuratelier De Jaeghere

FACING BRICKS

KALIBER Brick linea7 7038

VERWERKING

random bond, light grey joint

In Emiel Clauslaan in Astene stands a villa where the future is already here and it’s called: ‘Infinity’. The design comes from the creative team at Architectuuratelier De Jaeghere who collaborated intensively with client Multibat. The architects offer prospects for the future through a precise interplay of lines and planes. Playfully yet thoughtfully, they blur the boundaries: between tomorrow and today, outside and inside, dynamic and peaceful and space and spaciousness.

The home was designed as a kind of architectural pavilion, where all the living spaces are connected to the garden. The brick-built garden wall is an integral part of this architecture and embraces the house as it were, giving it extra protection. The horizontal canopy around the whole house creates a visual connection between the various architectural elements.

‘Infinity’ as a model of purity and minimalism
Steven De Jaeghere: “A model, that was the intention, for Multibat wants to exhibit the home to the visitor as a source of inspiration (laughs). But it's true, in our firm we regard minimalism as a personal attitude towards life against which we gauge the essence of architecture. And we think we have found it here. We want to achieve the greatest possible spatial effect, not so much by having large surfaces everywhere but by creating perspective. How? By extending horizontal and vertical lines. By creating transparency between individual spaces. By bringing the feeling of being outside in and playing with the boundary between outdoors and indoors. The horizontal canopy plays the leading role in this. It is of practical use, offering protection against the sun and rain and covering the terraces at the front and rear of the villa. Its interior presence also blurs the boundary between outside and inside, creating an inviting effect for the visitor. This blurring of boundaries, this unity of inside and outside space, we see as a characteristic for the future. The minimalism of the horizontal canopy, with no visible eaves, is also reinforced by the large window areas underneath with their very discrete aluminium frames.”

Agate grey facing brick as a determining factor in the choice of materials
“By deliberately choosing a mix of warm materials and colours, the house is made recognisable, ‘human’ so to speak. The concrete canopy is supported by large façade surfaces constructed in green-grey brick. The vertical wooden latticework that is mainly present at the rear of the property and extends up to the top floor is in keeping with the natural surroundings. Large walls of glass flood the interior with light. The light tones of the wood and the brickwork are also repeated inside, in the hall and the meeting room, for example. This uniformity accentuates the peaceful atmosphere while the familiarity of the material palette creates a homely feel,” says Steven.

The choice of facing brick was all-important for this project, based on the idea of working with softer, rather earthy tones in the materials rather than (hard) contrasts. This is the most important factor in the choice of materials and it had to be ensured that the other materials could be combined with it coherently.

The agate grey shade of linea7 7038 in ecological Brick7 format stands out to some extent as a surprising choice in the streetscape but harmonises perfectly with its surroundings where it appears as rather understated and combines beautifully with the rest of the materials chosen. The thinner facing brick made from clay from the Scheldt basin contributes towards the sustainable character of the house. For instance, the limitation of transport movements, raw materials and energy consumption during production fall – quite literally – under the heading of ‘minimalism’.

The shade and the texture of the brick have an extremely natural feel, giving the house a warm aura in spite of its sleek architecture. The elongated format also fits in perfectly with the art deco style that the architecture gives a nod to but by choosing a colour for the joint that was almost tone-on-tone, the façade does not come over as a hard statement but rather as a distinguished presence.

Essence of the architecture lies in the detail
Steven De Jaeghere: “Our pure vision of architecture is reflected in this house in details such as the low garden wall, for example, that dips down to a hidden patio at basement level once it has turned the corner. That patio provides the natural light that is required for the office space. Even more natural light streams in through the corner window that extends 1 m below ground level. To sum up: the permanent search for the essence of architecture leads to timelessness. An excellent example of this is Art Deco which still earns our admiration today. The finesse in the wooden vertical latticework that is aligned between the floors and the subtle, distinctively profiled metal frame of the canvas window on the first floor are two nods to the detailing and homely luxury of Art Deco.”