The stairway as a connective and dividing element.

The stairway as a connective and dividing element.

House
Borgloon 2010

Design and realization of an open single-family residence.

Landscape, terrain and orientation come together nicely in this freestanding family residence. A 3.5 metre high slope had a visually dominant influence on the design. The beautiful view of the surroundings inspired us to reverse the typical building programme and to move the living areas to the upper floor and to place the bedrooms, bathrooms and the garage at street level. Thanks to a split-level concept internally, these functions are still closely linked to each other.

Double split-level
Whereas the functions provide for the vertical division, the central staircase divides the home in two horizontally. The stairway separates the living areas from the subordinate functions.
The stairway brings the visitor to a covered entry on the first floor where he gains access to the living area. This area occupies the complete width of the residence on the garden side.

Panoramic view
A storage area separates the living area from the kitchen on the street side. The separation between the cooking area and living area is logical. The kitchen enjoys its own unique view of the environment. A large glazed section provides a beautiful view of the green area on the other side of the street. At the same time, it also gives access to a walled terrace. On this terrace, because of its higher location, the residents can enjoy the panoramic view in complete peace and privacy.

Central interchange
The bedrooms of the parents and the children are placed above each other, so they enjoy privacy relative to each other. Yet the split-level arrangement provides a spatial link.
The staircase forms the central interchange in the residence. To emphasize the importance of its function, we make an indentation in the side facades here, which bathes the stairway in sunlight.

Egide Meertens Plus architecten woning Clerinx Borgloon