— Project intent
A precise answer to the site and programme.
A single-storey family house in Ohey, designed by architecture firm STARC as a self-build project rooted in the bocage landscape of the Condroz region, in the province of Namur, Wallonia. The building is set back from the road within an open rural context, its compact and strictly orthogonal volume asserting a measured presence without seeking to dominate its surroundings. A curved driveway softens the approach to the building and reinforces its landscape integration, while a lightweight steel carport, discreetly positioned to the rear, organises the forecourt without compromising the legibility of the main volume.
Materiality is the central architectural gesture of the project. The cladding in locally sourced blue stone, laid in irregular courses, anchors the building within its territory and establishes continuity with the region's constructive traditions. This raw, textured material contrasts with the precision of the dark metal joinery, whose slender profiles emphasise the corners and articulate the facade through generous vertical openings. The flat roof, treated as a pure volume, reinforces the compactness of the composition and gives the project a resolutely contemporary character.
The design is grounded in economy of means and coherence of architectural expression, consistent with the self-build approach that shapes the project from the outset. Large openings on each facade draw natural light deep into the interior and sustain a close visual relationship with the garden and the Condroz landscape beyond.
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