House and Office | QUATRE

Welkenraedt, Belgium

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House and Office | QUATRE

Welkenraedt, Belgium

Firm

QUATRE Architecture

Type

Residential › Private House
Commercial › Office

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2016

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

Photos

Samuel Defourny (15), QUATRE Architecture (6)

The project, comprised of a house and offices, is situated on the last vacant plot in the street. The central location, close to the various municipal services (railway station, bus station, schools, shops), and the home office will optimize daily runs and facilitate the use of soft modes of transport.

The position in the street has limited surface wastage on three facades. Furthermore, this implantation has completed the urban fabric. The volumetry of the building corresponds to that of other houses in the street: the main volume is street facing and the "annex" volume is established only on the ground floor. The project is aligned with the street facing facades, as well with the adjacent volumes on the level of the bedrooms.

The platform roof corresponds to other volumetries present in the street. The raising of the living area above the street level creates flow with the garden (located one and a half meter above street level), allows viewing of the activity in the architectural office located in the semi basement and provides constant natural light.
The materials are modelled on materials that cover the facades and gables in the street. The street facade is clad with aluminium scales placed as diamonds, while the rear gables and facades are covered with cement-fibre siding of the same size. These materials are light and they correspond to the technique of the supporting wooden-frame structure.
Given its high degree of insulation (wood frame, passive triple glazed windows, orientation, double flow ventilation system), the project does not require a central heating system but is only equipped with a complementary pellet heater.

This project, in general, was designed with the view in mind to integrate the current ecological context, as much in terms of its location, its materials and its technical implementation.
The interior is dressed with natural materials, contrasting with the rigor of the exterior architecture. The basement is made entirely of precast concrete. The ground floor is covered from floor to ceiling with boards of light ash wood. This cover also provides decoration and warmth to the space. Integrated lighting has been preferred for ecological and economic concerns. Light colors have been applied to the walls and floor in order to optimize lighting and increase the brightness.