Djef Anten House / BOT architektuurcollectief

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Text description provided by the architects.A 1950s row house in the city center ofHasseltis due for a new chapter. Potteries were demolished to make place for a new volume. A new extension with a better relationship to the deep backyard. The existing main volume was completely stripped and allowed to benefit from the new vista of the garden.The canopy of the covered terrace is made of exposed concrete, with a recovered plank formwork. The canopy is designed so that the concrete serves as both structure, finish, sunscreen, and water barrier. Rainwater is collected in an above-ground cistern whose overflow is connected to a wadi in the garden. The house is prepared for the future and can easily be transformed into a care or kangaroo home.The bearing directions of the beams follow the smallest span so that the three structural compartments are arranged in a braced manner. The covered terrace is completely detached from the wooden volume, both thermally and structurally, and is constructed of brick and concrete. The bricks were recovered from the demolished potteries, and all credit to the client for the clean-up work of 9,000 bricks.The new volume was built between a covered terrace and a patio. The existing enfilade of the various rooms is preserved and reinforced in the new volume. The patio is the new heart of the house and provides light, air, and greenery into the house. The new prefabricated plywood timber structure (Kerto) remains fully visible and serves as a curtain wall structure.