Kortrijk-based studio Devolder Architecten has designed the House and Design Studio in Kortrijk, in the Flemish province West Flanders, Belgium.
This concrete returns as material for: a privacy wall, a low wall for the letterbox and also for the framing of the garage. A third prominent material is the rusty looking corten steel that is used for the small outdoor stair, 30cm outward projecting window frames, the garage gate itself and the letterbox. Not with standing the closed outer appearance, the building’s interior is bright white and sun-drenched. Large windows allow contact with the surrounding nature and garden. All floors are of polished concrete. Non-load-bearing walls have been constructed of acoustically absorbing plasterboard with an extra layer of plaster. Other and non sound-sensitive divisions are made by cabinets. This way the house is future proof in the sense that almost all walls can be relocated without mayor changes in the structure. Besides the fact that most materials are left bare, the house still bathes in acoustic luxury by the use of sound absorbing stretch ceilings.
