Dezeen Magazine

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Brutalist-inspired residence by Clauwers & Simon is arranged around a central courtyard

This simple board-marked concrete and timber house by Clauwers & Simon in rural Belgium is arranged around a glazed courtyard.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

The local studio was inspired by the works of Belgian architect Juliaan Lampens, whose Brutalist-style buildings from the 1960s made extensive use of concrete both inside and out.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

In tribute to him, board-formed concrete forms the exterior walls of the property, while vertical slats of timber surround first-floor windows and a recessed ground-floor entrance.

The boxy volume features a mono-pitched roof that slopes towards a large garden.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

"Vertical wooden cladding alternates with the concrete walls contributing to a warmer character and scaling of the volume," said Clauwers & Simon, which designed the house for a client in Belgium's Limburg province.

"The concrete is rough but at the same time the volume is still elegant due to a sightly sloping roof."

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Occupants enter the house via a pivoting timber door where they are met with a central courtyard that is encased in panes of glass that stretch from the floor all the way up to the ceiling.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Rooms on both the ground and first floor are dispersed around the edges of the courtyard, which introduces natural light into the minimally finished interiors.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Several circular windows dotting the stairwell face into this green space and reflect light onto the adjacent wall.

The materiality of the exterior continues inside the property, where the walls, ceilings and floors are made from exposed concrete.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Sections of ash cladding adds warmth to the predominantly grey-toned living space at ground level.

Contrast is also provided by the black MDF panels used for the kitchen cupboards and island and floor-to-ceiling doors to the garden are dressed with white curtains to " bring a mediterranean atmosphere to the house."

A sliding door divides the living room from a study, creating a space for privacy in the open-plan ground floor.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Upstairs, timber lines the floor while the sloping concrete ceiling is left exposed and the bathroom covered in speckled granite tiles.

A concrete structure clad in the same ash timber stands in the rear garden, awaiting its conversion into a poolhouse.

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon

Other houses in Belgium include the home TOOP Architectuur designed around a central patio and Steven Vandenborre's concrete poolhouse.

Photography is by Caroline Dethier.

More images and plans

Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Ground floor plan
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
First floor plan
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Section
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Section two
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon
Concrete House in Belgium by Clauwers & Simon