Shed conversion into a family home in Sauvenière

In Sauvenière, in the province of Namur (Wallonia), architecture firm STARC led the transformation of a cluster of industrial sheds and garages into a single-family home, while retaining a workshop and storage area on site. The architectural approach focuses on volumetric rationalisation of the existing complex: a collection of roofs with varying heights, pitches and forms, clad in partially rusted sheet metal, is unified under a single flat roof with extensive green planting and solar panels, kept strictly within the original building envelope.

Cohesion across the ensemble is achieved through external thermal insulation finished with a white render, which ties together the different volumes while significantly improving the building's energy performance. Aluminium frames with thermal breaks complete the technical upgrade. The shift from deteriorating sheet cladding to a considered, homogeneous facade represents a clear qualitative improvement for the surrounding neighbourhood and the built context of Sauvenière.

Rather than erasing the level differences inherited from the original structures, the design integrates them: two main floor levels organise the programme, connected by an internal staircase of a few steps. The lower level houses the living spaces opening onto the terrace and garden, while the upper level contains the bedrooms, study, living room and the retained workshop and storage spaces. The rear terrace, partially covered, follows the existing ground relief without altering it.

This renovation and conversion project exemplifies a measured approach to adaptive reuse, combining formal restraint, sustainability and respect for the existing scale.

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