Barn converted into a house in Virginal-Samme

The conversion of an existing barn into a two-storey dwelling in Virginal-Samme, in Walloon Brabant, is a project of architectural restraint in which the volumetric reading of the agricultural building takes precedence over any temptation to transform. Set at the rear of the plot and oriented perpendicular to the road, the elongated structure with its dark-tiled pitched roof establishes a strong formal presence that guides every design decision. The existing envelope is retained as the structural backbone of the project, with no additions that might undermine the sobriety of the original built form.

Converting the barn into habitable space across two levels requires qualifying the interior without betraying the exterior. The fenestration is designed in dialogue with the barn's load-bearing structure, drawing on existing openings to introduce natural light without fragmenting the facade. The ground floor is retained as a workshop as part of a self-build approach, maintaining a functional porosity between making and dwelling, and asserting a programmatic coherence between the two stacked entities.

Landscape integration relies on preserving the dense vegetation surrounding the building, which ensures its discreet presence within the bocage setting of Virginal-Samme. The restrained materiality, inherited from the original barn, anchors the project in a sensitive continuity with the surrounding agricultural built fabric, without resorting to literal mimicry but embracing a clear affiliation with the character of the place. This residential architecture project is the work of STARC, an architecture firm based in Wallonia committed to contextual and considered design.

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