Slim facing brick Linea7 7022 in harmony with nature

Elegant assymetrical villa in the green suburbs of Ghent

This elegant villa is situated in the Latemse Meersen nature reserve, in the green suburbs of Ghent along the right bank of the Lys. The task was to design a house which provided the best possible view of the beautiful nature reserve in the south.

An additional challenge was that 80% of the new villa’s footprint had to overlap with the footprint of the previous house which stood there, but was incorrectly oriented in respect of its surroundings.

Taking account of these mandatory urban development regulations, on the eastern side, the house and the open garden are oriented towards the Latem Lowlands in the south as much as possible.

That is why it was decided to include large windows which provide the best possible experience and view of the surroundings.

In order to guarantee sufficient privacy in the garden, the architect designed the north façade facing the street so that it developed into a long garden wall. This suggests a boundary and gives the garden the desired intimacy.

The elegant asymmetrical architecture and varying volumes of the villa make it a striking building.

The floating upper storey is supported by the garden wall and an asymmetrical cross wall.

As a result, the architecture creates a carport on the left-hand side of the cross wall while on the right-hand side, visitors are protected from the elements as they approach the front door.

Balancing the volume on the garden wall brings it into closer contact with the forest across the street.

In order to enhance the strength of that volume even more, brick slips were stuck to the whole of the underside so that the cantilevered monolith balances on the garden wall.

Charlotte Willaert of architectural firm Ai&M chose the brown-grey facing brick linea7 7022 for this project: “One of the reasons why we chose this facing brick was its shape: it is beautifully proportioned, being long and narrow but not pompous.

Another was its warm brown colour which blends perfectly with the surroundings. As a result, the presence of the villa is not imposing so that attention is directed towards the landscape.”

The materials used were chosen to harmonise with the green surroundings. The combination of the long facing brick linea7 7022 and the vertical wooden cladding forms a beautiful whole with the site.

The result radiates serenity, enabling the occupants to enjoy the home’s natural environment to the full.