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Text description provided by the architects. After having lived at the rhythm of the capital, this young couple set their sights on a quiet neighbourhood with trees in the heart of the Belgian countryside. A narrow, quiet street, a long, gently sloping plot of land, tall trees as a backdrop, the Daguets house simply follows the relief and opens up to the nearby grove… for an optimal connection with the garden and the surrounding nature…

The aim of this project is to achieve an acceptable environmental balance, both in terms of the construction and its operation. This aspect was considered from the very beginning. A prefabricated wood structure was blown with cellulose (240mm), the addition of wood fibre panels (22mm), triple glazed windows and a green roof ensure an energy-efficient envelope for the building. For the façade cladding, local wood cladding (heat-treated fir) was chosen for the side façades and fibre cement panels for the front facade. The thermal efficiency of the envelope means that no heating system is needed, only a pellet stove to brighten up the winter evenings. To avoid overheating on hot summer days, the large trees and an overhanging roof guarantee sufficient shade to counteract the sun’s rays.

The spaces have been organised in such a way as to guarantee permanent contact with the garden. As the plot is relatively small, it was difficult to orient all the rooms towards the garden. The office and the guest room were installed at the front of the house, in relation to the street, while the living room with its very high ceiling at the back has a view of the garden. To achieve this objective, the bedroom is placed in a glass box on the mezzanine to take advantage of the perspective towards the green space and the morning rays, while being somewhat isolated.

The landscaping was designed by the landscape architect Vincent Gillier and was studied at the same time as the architecture. This allowed both to orientate their study, one enriching the other and vice versa… A team work which corresponds well to the methodology set up by the workshop…