House I-M
A young family with two small children moved from a cramped urban house in downtown Ghent to rural Zulte, where they purchased an empty plot of land at the edge of the village. The plot borders the land and home of a farmer, has a gorgeous view and is well oriented. However, it has an irregular shape with a wide front yard and a narrow and deep back yard.
In the long run, these restrictions of the parcel resulted in an added value: on the ground floor, the entire footprint was utilized, allowing for a central raised terrace in wood to become a defining feature of the house. This intimate outdoor space recalls the scale and coziness of an urban patio, while also suggesting the typical layout of an older farm.
Spaces like the kitchen, dining area and living room are organized so they provide views of both the terrace and the backyard and optimally enjoy sunlight all day long. At the widest edge of the plot and thus also of the new home, the street is sheltered by a large carport and bike storage.
From the bike storage, an underground music studio can be reached, acoustically isolated from the family home. The carport has a secondary entrance to the house, with private access to the home office in the front.
The compact first floor houses 4 bedrooms. The hallway features ambience lighting provided by a large window behind on open pattern of bricks (claustra ).
The central terrace and facades around it are built in untreated wood. The facades on the exterior of the structure feature ordinary, rustic brick with mortar expelling from the seams, and spread over the bricks. This gives the home an earthly expression, as if it were derived from the sand of the soil it is rooted in.
