Just outside Antwerp, DDM Architectuur worked on a discreet monolithic house surrounded by water and nature.

House BRAS is designed to blend into its surrounding natural landscape. Located in Brasschaat, on a lush green site abutting a pond in the middle of an old allotment in the suburbs of Antwerp, its meandering plan allows daylight to penetrate during all seasons and at any time of the day while achieving unobstructed views of the garden.

The ground floor consists of three main zones – the living area with an open kitchen, an exercise area with a swimming pool and sauna, and a room for music offering a panoramic view of the pond.

These zones are physically and visually connected with glazed passages along four closed blocks covered in dark larch veneer leading to ancillary spaces such as stairs, pantry, entrance, and bedrooms.

On the first floor, DDM Architectuur positioned the master suite with views of the tree crowns and a library overlooking the pond through the double-height music room.

Technical spaces and car parks are located underground and are accessible through a ramp that appears to cut through the pond. Trusses are integrated into the roof slopes, making it possible to realize large column-free cut-outs in the natural stone envelope. These openings are finished with aluminum joinery.

To emphasize the monolithic character of the house, the 5th façade is also clad with muschelkalk (shell-bearing limestone) natural stone slabs. The slabs in 3 different sizes are placed in a directionless Roman pattern so that the roofs and facades fuse together enabling the house to blend into the landscape like a stone in a forest.