— Project intent
A precise answer to the site and programme.
In Braine-L'Alleud, in the province of Walloon Brabant, architecture firm STARC designed a three-facade single-family house inspired by the English cottage style, carefully integrated into its built environment. Completed in 2022, this new residential construction unfolds over three levels, ground floor, first floor and a mansard storey, on a plot whose distinctive topography, the ground rising roughly two metres above street level with a bowl-shaped depression at its centre, directly shaped the implantation strategy and the relationship between the two volumes.
The composition consists of two pitched-roof bodies clad in dark tiles. The main volume, eight metres deep, aligns with the adjoining house in both footprint and cornice height, ensuring a coherent integration into the streetscape. A secondary volume, set approximately one and a half metres lower, projects forward to form the garage, which is also accessible from inside the house. This articulated massing gives the building a clear volumetric hierarchy.
The material palette is deliberately unified: warm red-toned facing brick across all facades, anthracite roof tiles and anthracite PVC joinery. The window composition echoes the rhythm of the neighbouring dwellings, while a bow-window on the rear ground-floor facade introduces a refined cottage accent. Roof lights at mansard level provide natural daylight and comply with habitability standards. Carefully considered landscaping, including a parking area integrated into a gentle slope and an entrance staircase designed in stylistic continuity with the house, firmly anchors the building within its context.
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