Kavelwoning Arbed

Sofie and Eriek were initially quite prejudiced against new housing. ‘We thought that it was expensive and would also demand a lot of effort and energy. But the reasonable price that you pay for building land via SoGent, plus the affordable price per square metre that they assume for construction, convinced us,’ explains Eriek. The plot owners were not allowed to choose any which architect. Their choice was limited to the ten architects pre-selected by SoGent. In the end, they selected de vylder vinck taillieu architects (dvvt), a decision that was prompted by their made-to-measure approach and the sustainability factor.

Sofie and Eriek already had an idea about the kind of house in which they wanted to live. Under the influence of the architects, however, their home gradually started to look quite different. ‘When we’d just purchased the plot, we assembled a “book of inspiration” of sorts, with furniture and interiors that we liked at the time. It was a good exercise and helped us to explain, as much to ourselves, precisely what we wanted – and also what we didn’t want. For instance, we certainly didn’t want a chalet. In the beginning, we were opposed to the large quantities of visible construction timber in the house, but now we’re very happy with the playful effect it creates.'

- Caroline Voet. This text has been published in the Architectural Review Flanders N°11 - Embedded Architectures