A. NPT
Architectenbureau Quisquater
ARCHITECTS
Architectenbureau Quisquater
STATUS
Built
AREA
1000 Sqft - 3000 Sqft
BUDGET
$100k - 500k
YEAR
2015
LOCATION
Nieuwpoort, Belgium
TYPE
Residential › Private House
Remodeling and refurbishment of single-family home into vacation house.
Central to this design is the opening and expansion of the living room and kitchen, while keeping the proportions of the house as well as the ratio of the building to the terrain intact. Two interventions are key.
Firstly, the ground floor, which consisted of small, seperate and dark spaces, is remodeled and minimimally expanded so as to enlarge the contact with the garden (oriented towards the south) and reshape the living room and kitchen into a light, open space.
Secondly, the staircase, materialized as a sculpture volume, is repositioned from the far end of the house to its heart.
This provides ample space for the new bedrooms and bathrooms above, which are accessible through the compact, centrally positioned corridor.
In detailing and materials, we sought to evoke a 'vacation atmosphere': the custom-made terrazzo floor, made out of white granulates and shards of blue glass, is combined with the homely feel of oak.
Akin to a southern villa, the exterior of the house as well as large parts of the interior are painted white - even the door thresholds are realized in white concrete - the only exception being the brightly colored bathrooms in blue and green.
On the south side, at the garden and pool area, a large sliding window can be made to 'disappear' in the facade, thereby transforming the window sill into an seating tablet that becomes part of the exterior furniture.
