jo taillieu architecten / jta . photos: © Luca Beel
In the centre of Gooik stood a classic single family house. One house had to become two houses, on the same plot. The house was demolished and replaced by two row-houses that mirror each other.
The design started from the principle of organising the houses in a vertical way rather than horizontally, with a minimum width and maximum height; hence, living in a limited space with the atmosphere of a tall house. The front and back facade consist of red bricks with white joints. A third intermediate facade was added that is slightly set back from the front facade, creating space for parking and terraces. Even though very compact, the houses contain everything needed for comfortable living. Each floor houses a specific function. The ground floor contains the kitchen that is connected to a communal back garden, the first floor houses the living room that connects to a terrace in front of the house and looks out over the park on the opposite side of the street through an opening in the front facade, the second floor holds a bathroom and dressing, and the third floor contains the bedroom. The gabarit of the facade is the result of various governmental guidelines and parameters of the site that needed to be followed. It follows and connects to the height of the roofs and facades of the neighbors, and reaches the maximum height allowed.
The communal wall between the two houses is constructed of visible silka building blocks. Every now and then, a square block sticks out of the wall, which then supports a round concrete beam. Subsequently, the round beams support a wooden floor. The three blue metal spiral staircases are supported by steel beams that span the width of the houses, and are mounted against the walls, not into them. Hence, the project follows the logic of a stacking system, causing the floors, beams and staircases to be independent from one another.
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