fmM House
BLAF Architecten
Mechelen, Belgium
On the premise that nature and architecture influence one another, this one-family dwelling emphasizes the interaction between exterior and interior
In their pursuit of a sustainable and economically efficent architecture, the architects at BLAF let themselves be guided by geoemetric abstraction. Using the circle and the square, they came up with a floorplan whose outline rose to become brickwork walls that hold up the roof. The wooden frame pierces these volumes with precision, creating an alternation of enclosed and outdoor spaces and making it possible to give each material different uses.
The brick-clad spaces are both private and functional servant spaces, which connect through outdoor interior spaces that always face one of the four cardinal points. These intermediate spaces are thought out as a nexuses between inside and outside, and use the double height to form central elements like the atrium, leaving enough room for secondary structures and future changes in the program.