{"id":372158,"date":"2025-08-25T11:10:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T11:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/372158\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T11:10:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T11:10:22","slug":"he-replaces-traditional-roof-of-flemish-home-with-glazed-winter-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/372158\/","title":{"rendered":"H\u00e9 replaces traditional roof of Flemish home with glazed winter garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels-based architecture studio H\u00e9!<\/a> has updated a traditional Flemish home in Belgium<\/a>, inserting a glazed timber and metal volume to form a “new living space” on its upper floor.<\/p>\n

Situated in the hilly landscape of the country’s Pajottenland region, Omloop Farmhouse was purchased by its owners in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

They approached H\u00e9!<\/a> to improve the home’s connection with nature and establish a more compact layout suitable for the couple to grow old in.<\/p>\n

\"FrontH\u00e9! has updated a traditional Flemish home in Belgium<\/p>\n

To do this, the studio rearranged the home’s existing layout, with the largest transformation being the addition of a glazed winter garden, which replaces a portion of the home’s existing pitched roof and is divided from the home’s “heated volume” by a thick rammed-earth wall.<\/p>\n

“By dissecting the organisation of the typical Flemish fermette, the project explored how to minimise the heated volume while enhancing the home’s connection with nature,” studio co-founder Hanne Eckelmans told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“Because of the sloping terrain and small roof windows, there was little connection to the forest in front and the elevated fields at the back.”<\/p>\n

\"InteriorA glazed winter garden was added to the home’s upper floor<\/p>\n

“By replacing part of the existing roof with a glasshouse roof, a new living space was created with views of both the forest and the fields beyond,” Eckelmans added.<\/p>\n

At ground level, H\u00e9! reorganised the home’s living spaces to centre around an earthen stove, which replaces a boiler as the home’s central heating system.<\/p>\n

Beside it, an oversized entrance hall transformed into a more compact, double-height entryway that doubles as a seating area lined with a built-in rammed-earth bench.<\/p>\n

\"Rammed-earthA rammed-earth wall divides the garden from the rest of the home<\/p>\n

The home unfolds into a series of interconnected living spaces, including a kitchen and adjacent dining room that lead out to a rear garden.<\/p>\n

A bedroom and bathroom were also added at ground level to ensure its extended liveability for the couple.<\/p>\n

\"ViewThe home opens up to a double-height seating area<\/p>\n

Earth-toned flooring unites the ground floor spaces and is complemented by clay-plastered walls, textured concrete floors and red-coloured columns and beams.<\/p>\n

At the centre, a floating staircase enclosed with black steel railings leads up to the second floor, where the spaces are framed by the existing pitched roof.<\/p>\n

Here, a living space centres the volume and is flanked on one side by two small bedrooms organised around a shared bathroom.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Timber<\/p>\n

H\u00e9! adds timber extension to wisteria-covered Belgian townhouse Kasteel\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

At the opposite end of the home, the large rammed-earth wall is punctured by a small window and double doors that open up to the winter garden.<\/p>\n

Replacing a section of the existing roof, the garden’s timber roof follows the home’s pitched form and is entirely glazed to draw light into the space.<\/p>\n

Steel-framed windows complement the interior of the winter garden, which is fitted with a table and a small countertop. A metal-cased planter fronts the space and contrasts with the brick walls at the home’s front.<\/p>\n

\"EntrywayAn earthen stove provides heat for the home<\/p>\n

To ensure indoor comfort for the residents, hinged openings enable ventilation through the space, while the rammed-earth wall works to absorb and release heat into the home during colder seasons.<\/p>\n

“The glass-roofed living space faces south, allowing the rammed earth wall to absorb the sun’s warmth during autumn and winter,” Eckelmans explained.<\/p>\n

“Windows at eye level and in the ridge on both sides enable a natural airflow, helping to cool the space on warmer days,” she added.<\/p>\n

\"ViewClay-plastered features across the home’s interior<\/p>\n

Other residential projects by the studio include a timber extension to a wisteria-covered townhouse on the outskirts of Brussels<\/a> and the conversion of an industrial building in Brussels into a four-storey townhouse, studio and co-working space<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Tim Van de Velde<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brussels-based architecture studio H\u00e9! has updated a traditional Flemish home in Belgium, inserting a glazed timber and metal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372159,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[4021,4020,130232,1789,4022,77,7931,130233,130231,5224,17022,126129,126130,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-372158","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-belgian-houses","11":"tag-belgium","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-houses","15":"tag-hu00e9","16":"tag-rammed-earth","17":"tag-renovations","18":"tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","19":"tag-sectionall","20":"tag-sectionarchitecture","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115089102130675378","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}