Woning tmEK

The tmEK house, located in the historic centre of the Erps-Kwerps parish, is a dwelling like any other in terms of design, residential requirements and client. It is precisely this 'recurrence' that has always prompted BLAF to develop themes and positions aimed at challenging the assignment and at considering the practical implementation as research. The tmEK house is part of a series of experimental houses designed by BLAF, referred to as the 'Big Brick Pilots', in which the architects aim to test a new type of brick and specific hybrid construction method. A 'Big Brick' is an unusually thick brick, which allows the outer shell of a house to be conceived as a completely self-supporting, structurally and thermally autonomous structure. This construction method offers advantages, including but not limited to thermal bridge control, error reduction, working conditions and heat transmission. This way the facade becomes an actual structure rather than the cladding of the building. BLAF thus offers resistance, and a potential alternative, to recent developments in brick applications under pressure from EPB, and the resulting modified meaning of façade design.

This text is based on the project text provided by the architects.