‘Het Hof’ at Vlamertinge

Living units are designed within sufficiently repetitive and logically placed parallel load-bearing walls. The two building volumes of three stories high, with three units per floor, are planned parallel to each other. So are the other two building volumes of two stories high, with two units on the floor. Tentative kinks in the floor plans and gentle widenings in the connecting passerelle on the second floor create openings with captivating vistas.

Living Apart Together

The new homes form an “ensemble” with their own identity. Views from that wider area towards the inner garden embraced by the new buildings as well as a path structure that traverses this garden have a connecting effect. We strive for a clear, private place connected to the broader picture. The twist in the implantation of the four volumes gives additional width to the central garden area between the buildings. Because of these two kinks, you don’t get to see long, monotonous, repetitive facades. Your gaze is guided through a manageable stretch of façade to the next crown of a tree and thus to the next building. The angular twist ensures that the space between two buildings on the same side quickly opens back to a wider view. By making two of the four buildings “only” two stories high, sun rays reach the individual terraces in different seasons and the greenery at ground level in the courtyard garden.

Your own front door

From the new road to the residential area, a generous entrance canopy is provided under the passerelle. Here are the mailboxes and covered open bicycle storage for visitors. The two staircase/elevator cores are located immediately adjacent to the central thoroughfare. Although subtly disguised as chimneys, these are clearly visible. Each home will have a “real,” private front door that can be easily seen from this central entrance. Moreover, for 9 of the 24 homes, this front door is located on the ground-level sidewalk.
The two “extra” staircases, each located at the head of a three-story building at opposite corners of the site function as alternative “back doors” to the upstairs residences.

Doorway houses

All housing types are “pass-through” homes. The units on the end facades (i.c. 18 out of 24!) will have a third orientation added to a side facade. The homes’ kitchen and second bedroom face north-east while the living space and terrace face south-west. We consider it an explicitly village quality not to propose building volumes that are too deep and/or too high. The interiors have much connection with the outdoor environment. By scaling the three-story volumes with these two-story ones, a fine dynamic and captivating sunlight is created from the ground level and ground-floor dwellings.