An extension with neighbourly inspiration

  • Project:

    Extension of a family home

  • Client:

    Private

  • Projectcode:

    1724REN

  • Designer:

    LAVA architecten

  • Site:

    Tienen

  • Structural engineering:

    AB Associates

  • Contractor:

    Easybouw

  • Zinc works:

    Symaerts

  • Photographer:

    Tim Van de Velde

No matter how small its additional surface area is, this extension generously handles light, sightlines, and spaciousness. The inspiration for its appearance was not drawn from the house itself, but from the neighbors, where one of the most beautiful interbellum buildings in Tienen can be found.

Four discs, clad in wooden slats, span indoor and outdoor spaces without fully defining them. Similarly, several staircases connect the new winter garden/seating area/office to the terrace, kitchen, and basement. Rounded corners and a few integrated planters complete the link with the neighbors.

The extension gives the existing house a new experience thanks to the broadening of the volume toward the garden and the connection of spaces in split levels. The kitchen and dining room remain at their original height and flow into the lower seating area and office space. The terraces mirror this spatial sequence toward the outside and seamlessly extend the interior spaces, thanks to the large glass sliding doors. The sliding doors deserve special mention—not only because of their height, but also because the staggered lower threshold has never been done in this way before. An overhanging canopy provides the terrace with shelter from both rain and sun.

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