Tweewoonst Kattenberg
Architecten Broekx-Schiepers
Borgerhout (Antwerpen)
This double house designed by Architecten Broekx-Schiepers interweaves the two residences intimately. They meander around a circulation core that offers each of them south-facing windows and terraces. The front façade was constructed in white glazed bricks, adorned only with elaborate brick patterns at the windows and one red balcony. The side façade in turn was conceived in an industrial red brick, with a clear reference to the common blind party wall. Two sizes of bricks were used to emphasize the structure of the house and divide the façade into rectangular ‘rooms’ that anchor a few windows and one of the entrance doors. Without engaging in any theatricality, the building offers a restrained ending to the terraced houses, yet features some nice allusions to its context.
- Louis De Mey
This project is part of the exhibition Composite Presence in the Belgian pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
Architecten Broekx-Schiepers: "The front façade of white glazed brick integrates discreetly within the streetscape. The design of the side elevation is based on the idea of a visible old party wall, being the result of demolition of an abutting building, and still showing the room layout of the demolished building. This side elevation instead shows the room layout of the two-family house with a play of different brick formats and bonds."
