projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

the project of dmoa architecten turned an old lodge for hunters in the heverlee wood into a comfortable and modern dwelling for a family, integrating some portions of the old façade made of red bricks, still visible, with the renovated part. the latter is a single floor volume, with flat roof and covered by layers of black afzelia wood, that unveils itself behind the ancient walls: the vertical lines contrast with the horizontal ones of the preexisting raw bricks. one of the three wings of the original u-composition was removed, except of the façade wall that has the name of the old lodge on it: this also identifies, like an entrance portal, the new mansion, ‘la branche’. the side wings of the old walls contain the private rooms of the family meanwhile the new volume accommodate the living and the kitchen, where oak surfaces and dark colours are predominant. the two rooms are linked with the pool and the garden: everywhere, there are strong visual connections between indoor and outdoor spaces. when you walk through the house you feel continuously that you are in a nexus between old and new, a nexus that involves also the surrounding landscape. the dark colours of the interior design contrast with the high brightness of natural light that, filtered by the branches of trees, gets inside through the large windows. light fittings are coloured in black and are as hidden as possible: their light beam is directed towards the trees in order to create, also in this case, a filtered light. in the living area, the bar corner is enlightened so that the bottles turn into lamps, thanks to the particular position of the 13x8: not in front or behind but below the bottles so that the light goes inside lighting the liquids up with their different colours. the bookcase creates a barrier with the outside space allowing the family to gather together in a more intimate space, protected… a recall to the original function of resting place. inside the salon, the 13x8 with indirect light has been used to illuminate books and objects, but only where it is needed.