House BE - Arch

Roofs overgrown with flowers, a garden that flows into the structure and a Japanese garden hidden in the basement patio. House Be is a home that blooms, ages and changes with the seasons, in constant dialogue with the landscape around it.

House Be is an experiment in dwelling in and amongst nature is the central theme. A rhythmic structure in concrete, wood and brick contrasts with the frivolity of the restored landscape. In a similar way to the Romantic motif from the 19th century arts, an attempt was made to create a sensitive tension between a sublime natural landscape and the human presence in it.

The structure of the house consists of fair-faced concrete, shuttered with wooden planks. The proportions of aggregates, cement, sand, water and additives were carefully composed, weighed and tested. The result is a concrete skeleton with a rough and at the same time soft appearance. The concrete is visible in the façade, the outside passageway and in the interior. The structure is filled with large glass surfaces and facade brickwork. The bricks were custom-made and smothered in an authentic ring oven. The façades looks natural and nuanced, and the light-grey tone of the bricks match the concrete structure. The window openings are framed by slender window profiles and offer impressive views of the landscape. The roofs are overgrown with flowers and plants, and the garden extends into the building structure. The appearance of the facade changes throughout time and the seasons.

The house develops itself on three levels: basement, ground floor and first floor. The organisation is conceived as a central trunk with branches. The trunk springs from the entrance zone with a private courtyard, which forms a soft transition between public and private. Inside the house, the trunk of the route leads past the kitchen and living room into the garden room. The route to the workrooms and the night hall on the other floor deflects from the central axis, thus keeping private life separate.