Room in the City
The client, a contemporary family of five, lives in an archetypical terraced house on a dense plot in the historic centre of Leuven. After acquiring a neighbouring plot, the home could suddenly transform into a collection of connected spaces with very diverse characters, clustered around a very big, high and bright space that becomes the centre of the project. A small adjoining brick shed is reached through a secret staircase. The room on the street side doubles as a vestibule, a reception space plus storage room. The garden becomes an open-air room with green walls and an oversized water element.
The central room is defined by a careful collision of building elements: a terrazzo floor slab, a thin concrete staircase, a green clay covered wall, a large sliding window and a floating glass and stretched metal roof.
These elements create a spatial equilibrium leaving a large part of what surrounds them visible and intact, creating the possibility to connect to the other rooms, or not. Defined not by function but by atmosphere, this collection of rooms becomes an ambivalent living environment, that feels continuous with other public and private rooms that compose the city fabric.
-
Location
Belgium
-
Client
Private
-
Design period
2013 – 2014
-
Construction period
2014 – 2016
-
51N4E project team
Johan Anrys, Jan Haerens, Charlotte Schmidt, Freek Persyn, Jolein Bergers
-
Structural engineering
Util, Frans Leenaerts
-
EPB
iVec
-
Garden design
Plant- en Houtgoed
-
Programme
Reorganization of a single family house
-
Built surface
300 m²
-
Photography
Maxime Delavux
-
Image credits
51N4E
Projects
- Bougie2024
- Peterbos 92024
- Spartacus2024
- The Former Train Museum2024
- C-Mine Atelier2023
- C-Mine Masterplan2023
- Corridor2022
- Donysite2022
- Grote Markt2022
- Homborch2022
- Luxemburg in Transition2022
- Tous Ensemble2022
- Archiweek2021
- StamEuropa2021
- Book Building2020
- ICC2020
- La Ville Hospitalière2020
- Noord Zuid Limburg2020
- Ontharding Redingenhof2020
- Victoria2020
- ZIN2020
- ASIAT2019
- Bpost2019
- Viaduct Gentbrugge2019
- D'Ieteren2019
- Fly Over2019
- Over the Ring2019
- Alvéoles Saint-Nazaire2018
- Ferme du Chaudron2018
- Lab North2018
- Lage Weg2018
- Lerend Landschap2018
- Citroën, the Soft Museum2017
- Huis van de Media2017
- Kaaitheater2017
- Skanderbeg Square2017
- Tri Postal2017
- De Lork2016
- Falconpoort2016
- Grootkapel2016
- IABR2016
- Maritiem Park2016
- Palaiseau2016
- Recypark2016
- Regatta2016
- Room in the City2016
- Suitsupply2016
- TID Tower2016
- Atelier Deep Geothermia2015
- COD2015
- Labo XX2014
- Thurgauerstrasse2014
- BUDA Art Factory2012
- Huis aan‘t Laar2012
- OCMW Nevele2012
- Speelpleinstraat2012
- Lyon Part Dieu2011
- Test Site Istanbul2011
- 50.000 Logements2010
- Brussels 20402010
- C-Mine2010
- Arteconomy2009
- Kantoor +2008
- Lana Bridge2008
- Europetrol2006
- Lamot2005
- Noka Blok2005
- WET 892005
- La Théorie du balcon2004
- Groeningemuseum2003
- Masterplan Farmhouse2001
- Robin Oratoire