— Project intent
A precise answer to the site and programme.
A single-storey extension to an existing dwelling in Beauvechain, in the Walloon Brabant province of Belgium, designed to make the entire home fully accessible for people with reduced mobility. The guiding architectural intention is one of volumetric continuity: the extension engages the front of the existing building, echoing its single-storey scale and pitched roof geometry, so that the ensemble reads as a unified whole from the street. A subtle offset in plan, expressed through the setback of the lateral wing, allows the new entrance sequence to be integrated without disrupting the overall coherence of the composition.
The materiality reflects a considered dialogue between old and new. Light-coloured face brickwork with expressed joints on the main wing echoes the red-brick plinth running across the full ground floor, while the white render of the return wing quietly distinguishes the two elements without creating a rupture. Dark slate roofing unifies the ensemble and grounds the project within the architectural vernacular of the Brabant region.
The fenestration, restrained and rhythmically consistent, animates the facade while ensuring adequate natural light to the reorganised living spaces. The main entrance, repositioned at the centre of the composition, defines the accessible threshold and acts as the functional pivot between both wings, fully meeting barrier-free circulation requirements. This 2024 project by the architecture firm STARC offers a coherent and contextually sensitive architectural response to the challenge of adapting an existing home for accessible living.
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