Residence Norah is a modernist Belgian villa reworked to its proprietor’s wants

Glenn Sestig’s newest undertaking, Residence Norah, follows the entire signature hallmarks which have made the Belgian architect a frequent characteristic within the pages of Wallpaper*. An appreciation of modernist structure? Tick. Tactile textures and concrete surfaces? Tick. A personal home haven with nods to modern minimalist structure, the high-end residential property world, and creative explorations? Tick, tick, tick. 

Enter the non-public world of Residence Norah

The undertaking – a part of an current website in Belgium’s tony Deurle countryside – is ready inside a modernist house. The unique construction was designed by the late Twentieth-century architect Eddy François and is now owned by property specialist Ahmed El-Saidy, who referred to as upon Sestig and his Ghent-based workforce to remodel a former non-public gallery wing inside the property right into a ‘versatile reception space’, the architect explains. 

El-Saidy goals to make use of the crisp new house as a hub for conferences and displays, the place architects that he works with can come and showcase their designs. Sestig responded by working with the constructing’s bones, revealing the uncooked concrete cloth and elevating it. The result’s a richly textured house the place surfaces play with the daylight and invite the contact. On the similar time, cautious detailing provides luxurious to the inside by means of bespoke items of furnishings and fittings.

‘I made positive I revered the unique structure,’ says Sestig. ‘By eliminating later additions and non-structural parts, I made positive François’ unique intention was highlighted within the new design. I continued by taking his idea additional, and layering my very own minimalist sensibility, which is aligned together with his – for instance by straightening traces and integrating all the things in the primary room to unlock versatile house inside it, and by including visible and bodily connections to the house’s wider context, similar to the brand new stairs to the backyard.’

As Sestig explains, the brand new design improved the house’s circulation and inner connections too, because the architect created a completely new set of steps, which now seamlessly hyperlink the inside to the property’s surrounding inexperienced gardens.

glennsestigarchitects.com