Ternat House in Ternat, Belgium by V+ Bureau Vers Plus De Bien-être

People often says “A Belgian is born with a brick in his stomach”. So it’s reasonable that the land development and the architecture on it are bound by strategy and certain rules, based on economy, ecology, sociology, urban design, etc.

This project raises questions about this Belgian urban policy, about its moral and righteousness. It’s in a typical belgian allotment, bound by urban rules like: maximum dimensions of X by Y meters, ground-to-gutter 6 meters, façade in facing brick, roof in tiles, minimum 2 roof surfaces in a 25°-45° inclination, maximum 2 levels + roof, no dormers, 1 garden house permitted of maximum 10 square meters situated minimum 2 meters of the neighbourings lots.

This system produces uninspiring consumption architecture, unadapted to contemporary cultural, ecological and sociological demands. V+ bureau vers plus de bien-être proposed not to argue with local officials about an alternative appearance – bureaucracy is slow and rigid – but designed an entire different world in the interior, free of its ordinary shell.

This system produces uninspiring consumption architecture, unadapted to contemporary cultural, ecological and sociological demands. V+ bureau vers plus de bien-être proposed not to argue with local officials about an alternative appearance – bureaucracy is slow and rigid – but designed an entire different world in the interior, free of its ordinary shell.

Architects: V+ Bureau vers plus de bien-être
Client: Cortier – De Lat
Design Team: Jörn Aram Bihain, Thierry Decuypere, Shin Hagiwara
Engineers: Kathleen Mertens Contractor: CPR Construction, De Meersman, FMP
Surface: 360 sqm
Budget: 325.000 euro
Photographs: V+, Olivier Chenoix, Patrick Van Roy