Folding house

Maasmechelen, Belgium

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Folding house

Maasmechelen, Belgium

Firm

Studio 59

Type

Residential › Private House
Commercial › Office
Landscape + Planning › Private Garden

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2012

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

Project specs :
A Small footprint of 120 square meter
- the surface area of the property : 1200 square meter
- total surface of the living area : 330 square meter

7 floors : split level
1. basement
2. design studio
3. entrance/garage/bathroom
4. bedroom children
5. kitchen
6. living room
7. bedroom/bathroom/roof terrace

The use of bold, sculptural furniture and fittings while the walls are muted both in
color and materiality - I see this house as a sculpture that doesn’t need any extra additions. So the
objects stand in relation with the room without invading the harmony. Every space has its centerpieces
that look different thanks to the clean white walls , the ever changing light throughout the windows, in
contrast with the brutalism of the concrete and in balance with the sand colored floor .

Project description - the building folds over the landscape, floors fold into walls.

Every design starts with a study of the distinctive qualities of
the environment, trying to find a way to blend into the character of place.
This folding into the split level house is a choice due to the landscape, The natural talus gives a feeling of
protection and creates a boundary between public and private space. The asymmetrical floor plan
reinforces this concept by revealing a larger front and a releasing a bigger garden in the back.
For me it is important that every function has its view, the people who walk in tell me how spacious it
seems even though they expected it to be small. It’s nice that people don’t know what they can expect from
the outside. I designed it as a creative space to follow the needs of the habitants. So the higher we go up,
the more privacy I created .The building has a natural flow , no doors , one way circulation, contact
between floors, lots of different perspectives, flexible zones, little or less boundaries between outside and
inside so you feel connected to the environment.
design challenge - I´m a creative person who likes to express her-story versus the history of houses.
This house is a collection of thoughts and feelings I’ve expressed into a form. You can see through the
windows of my mind . Space can be as complex as emotions, therefore there must be tension between the
autonomy of the building and the idea of the builders. It was a very inspirational journey that I and this
house have lived together in the process of building and designing it. When you can feel peaceful and
inspired , it is your dream home.