Braem House, The transformation of a small, dark laborer’s house into a contemporary family house. The client, a preschool teacher, and her son stressed the importance of an open house with a lot of light. They also desired a ‘garden room’, a place to optimal enjoy the green from the long but narrow garden. All this had to be performed with a limited budget.
© Stijn Bollaert
The ramshackle annex is torn down but returns as a light wooden support structure that cantilevers to form two ‘bay windows’. The whole is wrapped by a wooden window assembly. The wooden structure determines the interior. Everything – functional or esthetical – is born from it: a rack dividing two spaces, a bench, the kitchen furniture, or the wall pattern.
© Stijn Bollaert
The high windows invite the light into the house as a contemporary version of the ‘Flemish veranda’, the perfect way to enjoy the outdoor indoors. Its articulation with the sharp indentation cuts it loose from the main house and transforms the annex into the desired garden room.
© Stijn Bollaert
The charm of the original interior with triangular indentations reappears as a zigzagging wall of fermacell and multiplex. The structural steel beams with their red-brown color contrast with the soft colors of the other materials, defining the different spaces without interfering with light and sight.
© Stijn Bollaert
The use of raw materials gives a double meaning to the phrase ‘the worker has left the building’. Attention to detail like copper grips and warm materials like the cement tiles ensures all visitors will be assured he didn’t leave too early.
© Stijn Bollaert
Integration and transformation of structural elements into interior elements made it possible to reduce the number of materials used, thus allowing for a sustainable and budget-friendly renovation.
Project Info
Architects: Machteld D’Hollander
Country: Belgium, Wachtebeke
Area: 125 m²
Year: 2020
Photographs: Stijn Bollaert
Design: Machteld D’Hollander
Project Execution: Machteld D’Hollander
Coordination: Machteld D’Hollander
Sophie Tremblay is a Montreal-based architectural editor and designer with a focus on sustainable urban development. A McGill University architecture graduate, she began her career in adaptive reuse, blending modern design with historical structures. As a Project Editor at Arch2O, she curates stories that connect traditional practice with forward-thinking design. Her writing highlights architecture's role in community engagement and social impact. Sophie has contributed to Canadian Architect and continues to collaborate with local studios on community-driven projects throughout Quebec, maintaining a hands-on approach that informs both her design sensibility and editorial perspective.