Sawtooth-roofed extension with "factory-like aesthetic" added to Ghent home
Local studios Atelier Avondzon and Macadam Atelier have renovated a derelict home in Ghent, Belgium, adding a sawtooth-roofed extension clad in corrugated-metal panels.
Named Rinskopf, the project was completed for a client who desired a home that would blend in with the site's industrial surroundings. It was recently shortlisted in the house renovation category of Dezeen Awards 2025.
Retaining the existing derelict brick structure, Atelier Avondzon and Macadam Atelier wrapped it externally with insulation and corrugated metal panels.
Internally, its rough brickwork walls were painted white and its timber ceilings and floors exposed.
"The guiding concept was to merge a factory-like aesthetic with the intimacy of a family dwelling," the studios told Dezeen.
"The broader urban context, characterised by shed roofs in the neighbourhood and the robust materiality of the nearby train station, influenced the building’s form, facade, and colour palette," they continued.
"At times, it felt like we were building a 'residential factory' – a process that was both playful and rewarding."
The nearby industrial sheds informed the single-storey rear extension to the home, which contains a large living, dining and kitchen space topped by a pale blue sawtooth roof also made from corrugated metal.
A triangular cut-out in the ceiling above a concrete kitchen island visually connects this extension with the first floor of the existing home, and also sets the contrasting brick and timber and steelwork structures against one another.
Beyond its reference to industrial architecture, the sawtooth roof allowed natural light to be maximised within the extension while maintaining privacy from both the neighbouring building and a nearby carpark.
"We wanted to open the house to daylight and sight lines, but without resorting to a fully glazed box that would feel overexposed," explained the studios.
"The shed-roof extension with its visible steel frame achieves this balance - generously admitting daylight while maintaining intimacy and enclosure," they continued.
"Inside, a triangular cut-out of the existing wooden floor exposes the original beams and creates a visual dialogue between old and new."
Sliding glass doors open the living space out into a rear garden, which is wrapped low masonry walls and crossed overhead by two existing steel beams.
These beams were retained, painted blue to match the sawtooth roof and used to suspend a hammock.
The pale blue colour scheme of the exteriors was carried through to the exposed steelwork of the extension interior, and has also been used in the home's kitchen and bathroom fittings and staircase.
"The first design proposed a bold red colour scheme," explained the studios. "The city, however, worried it might resemble branding for a nearby shop, and required a change."
"This led us to the blue-grey tones that now define the project - colours that soften the industrial character while rooting the house more firmly in its surroundings," they added.
Elsewhere in Ghent, local studio Delmulle Delmulle Architecten also used an industrial material palette for an infill home on a terraced street, including a facade made entirely from glass bricks.
The photography is by Séverin Malaud.
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