Hans Verstuyft Architects balances contemporary elements with recycled materials in a timeless farmhouse

Founded in 1992, Hans Verstuyft Architects’ projects are various in scale and program as they look for challenging assignments with a focus on extensive research. Since the studio believes architecture should exist to last and should give living new opportunities for each generation, they create timeless sober architecture with soul that inspires the users and invites them to live in.

For this contemporary farmhouse in Borsbeek, a small village in the province of Antwerp, Hans Verstuyft Architects made an extensive analysis on materials and surroundings of the plot. The newly built house is on the same site as an historic farm, which was irreparably neglected. Taking this into account, the new house refers to the historic farm’s neglected soul and finds its place in the landscape as a long gable farm with a saddle roof.

Even though the house has been newly built, it looks like the farmhouse has been there for some time. By using materials with weathered appearance such as roughly plastered brick and recovered roof tiles from old houses in Burgundy, it looks like the house has stood its ground for a while. Hans Verstuyft Architects balanced the weathered appearance with contemporary and refined elements in the plan structure and spatial perception, resulting in a sober and timeless farmhouse that highlights imperfections and accentuates craftsmanship.

Fostering an indoor-outdoor way of living and considering the history of the plot and surrounding land, Hans Verstuyft Architects collaborated with Brussels-based landscape architect Erik Dhondt. Enhancing the character of the plot, Erik Dhondt ensured for the surrounding landscape to be experienced in different ways from the home, sometimes cinematically, sometimes framed as a still life.

Photography by Piet-Albert Goethals