flemish studio govaert & vanhoutte architects designed a single-family concrete bachelor pad for a mid-century style enthusiast.
the view from the river shows a long floating horizontal concrete framework that defines the ground floor, which holds all day functions, the pool area and pool house. a second smaller concrete volume contains the master bed and bathroom and two extra rooms with their own service bathroom. a private terrace on the roof, linked only to the master bedroom.
the entire ground floor area favors the river. to allow more privacy, a wooden box that looks like the pool house can extend via sliding panels to completely hide the pool area from the passing boats on the river. the front facade facing the street discreetly presents two entrance doors and a gate for the car elevator.
on the first floor each bedroom has a private terrace. nightly activities reside underground: descending the stairs along the glazed front facade, the luminous ground floor becomes dark with wood and black moroccan tadelakt to set the tone. the focus in the basement is the big window behind the bar, revealing the inside of the pool. the bar, a dj booth, a glazed wine cabinet, long lounge benches, the area for exclusive cars, and a built in cigar cabinet, resemble an exclusive underground club.
photography> tim van de velde
residence vdb
venue> sint-martens-latem, ghent, belgium
architects> govaert & vanhoutte architects, benny govaert, damiaan vanhoutte
structural engineering> cobe ingenieurs bvba
main contractor> de mey eddy bvba
completion> 2016