Ontmoetingsgebouw De Rhille, Diksmuide

When creating De Rhille, a riding centre with accommodation in the village of Woumen at the northeastern end of Belgium’s coastline, commissioned by Sport Vlaanderen, the architects took inspiration from the ordinary barns and stables that are built using concrete and corrugated sheeting. URA Yves Malysse Kiki Verbeeck highlight the importance of stillness, the bonds with nature, and the recognisability of the formal idiom. The designers created a building that can be seen as ‘an abstraction of a past design’. The material – smooth, grey concrete – contrasts with the traditional buildings, while the shape of its triple ridge roof is a literal reference to the surrounding barns. The building does not attract unnecessary attention. It is sober and adopts the structure of the former paddock and stables, neither standing out against the existing buildings nor suddenly making them look antiquated or dilapidated. URA Yves Malysse Kiki Verbeeck created an enclosed yard as an assembly point. The deep windows frame the landscape at various heights and in a variety of formats. A covered gallery with a small toilet block is set apart from the main building and shelters visitors when they move from the dining room to the bedrooms. The location of the building on the corner of the site creates a resolutely modern feel. Oriented towards the familiar agrarian landscape, the architecture presents itself as a contemporary interpretation of a local tradition.

Bart Tritsmans - Excerpt from Flanders Architectural Review N°13. This Is a Mustard Factory