— Project intent
A precise answer to the site and programme.
In Courcelles, in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, the architecture firm STARC designed an extension to an existing single-family home, adding a dedicated private wellness volume that engages in deliberate contrast with the original brick-and-pitched-roof dwelling.
The architectural approach is grounded in an honest dialogue between old and new. While the existing house reads as a traditional structure in light brick under sloping rooflines, the new extension asserts its own identity through a compact, low-profile horizontal volume clad in dark materials and finished with a flat roof. Positioned as a continuation of the garden facade, the addition is firmly anchored to the site without overpowering it, preserving the depth and tranquillity of the surrounding planted areas.
The garden-facing facade opens up through large glazed panels structured by a slender grid of black metal profiles, creating maximum visual and spatial permeability between the interior and the landscape. This transparency floods the indoor swimming pool with natural light throughout the day and visually extends the interior volumes outward. The flat roof's horizontal band frames views onto the garden and establishes a measured sense of scale in relation to the existing vegetation.
Groundscape planting of grasses and evergreen species at the base of the extension softens the transition between built form and garden. The programme covers approximately 120 square metres and includes a 9 m by 4 m indoor pool, a pergola and a balcony on the front facade, completed in 2025.
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