Hé replaces traditional roof of Flemish home with glazed winter garden in Belgium

Brussels-based architecture studio Hé! has updated a traditional Flemish home in Belgium, inserting a glazed timber and metal volume to form a "new living space" on its upper floor.

Situated in the hilly landscape of the country's Pajottenland region, Omloop Farmhouse was purchased by its owners in the 1990s.

They approached Hé! to improve the home's connection with nature and establish a more compact layout suitable for the couple to grow old in.

To do this, the studio rearranged the home's existing layout, with the largest transformation being the addition of a glazed winter garden, which replaces a portion of the home's existing pitched roof and is divided from the home's "heated volume" by a thick rammed-earth wall.

"By dissecting the organisation of the typical Flemish fermette, the project explored how to minimise the heated volume while enhancing the home's connection with nature," studio co-founder Hanne Eckelmans told Dezeen.

"Because of the sloping terrain and small roof windows, there was little connection to the forest in front and the elevated fields at the back."

"By replacing part of the existing roof with a glasshouse roof, a new living space was created with views of both the forest and the fields beyond," Eckelmans added.

At ground level, Hé! reorganised the home's living spaces to centre around an earthen stove, which replaces a boiler as the home's central heating system.

Beside it, an oversized entrance hall transformed into a more compact, double-height entryway that doubles as a seating area lined with a built-in rammed-earth bench.

The home unfolds into a series of interconnected living spaces, including a kitchen and adjacent dining room that lead out to a rear garden.

A bedroom and bathroom were also added at ground level to ensure its extended liveability for the couple.

Earth-toned flooring unites the ground floor spaces and is complemented by clay-plastered walls, textured concrete floors and red-coloured columns and beams.

At the centre, a floating staircase enclosed with black steel railings leads up to the second floor, where the spaces are framed by the existing pitched roof.

Here, a living space centres the volume and is flanked on one side by two small bedrooms organised around a shared bathroom.

At the opposite end of the home, the large rammed-earth wall is punctured by a small window and double doors that open up to the winter garden.

Replacing a section of the existing roof, the garden's timber roof follows the home's pitched form and is entirely glazed to draw light into the space.

Steel-framed windows complement the interior of the winter garden, which is fitted with a table and a small countertop. A metal-cased planter fronts the space and contrasts with the brick walls at the home's front.

To ensure indoor comfort for the residents, hinged openings enable ventilation through the space, while the rammed-earth wall works to absorb and release heat into the home during colder seasons.

"The glass-roofed living space faces south, allowing the rammed earth wall to absorb the sun's warmth during autumn and winter," Eckelmans explained.

"Windows at eye level and in the ridge on both sides enable a natural airflow, helping to cool the space on warmer days," she added.

Other residential projects by the studio include a timber extension to a wisteria-covered townhouse on the outskirts of Brussels and the conversion of an industrial building in Brussels into a four-storey townhouse, studio and co-working space.

The photography is by Tim Van de Velde. 

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