Embedded in its rural setting in Belgium's East, House Kempeneers sits non-perpendicularly with the street which inspired the architects to go with the shape of a parallelogram.

Exterior spaces, like patio and covered terrace, are enclosed inside the fort-like structure. On the contrary, the inside surprises with open spaces, copious natural light, and continuous interaction between the inside and the outside.






The client desired a free concept and a new form of living without the stereotypical, enclosed transit ways, like entrance and hallway, but instead open spaces with the entrance area being an integrated part of the kitchen and living room.

All glass is glued cold without any profiles. The profiles are also submerged into the floor to avoid any thresholds and obstacles between inside and outside. The continuous floor covering, a natural stone tile in Chinese bleu stone, (1x1m, 50kg each tile), also gives the impression of flowing trough inside and outside.





To give the facade a brut impression, glued bricks in black and white split concrete were chosen.

Instead of cutting windows as holes into the walls, all windows are wall elements themselves and occasionally take turn with wooden walls (entrance, garage), and the split concrete brick walls.




















This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Left: House Kempeneers in its rural setting in Borgloom, Belgium (click here for hi-res image)

Type: Private house for one person
Location: Borgloon, Belgium
Size: 350 m2/3,770 sf (Ground Floor), 120 m2/1,290 sf (First Floor)
Construction Time: 1 year
Completion Date: 2005
Architect: Klaarchitectuur

Related Links:
Klaarchitectuur

Photography by Luc Roymans
Text by Alexander Walter