Farmhouse Lennik | Studio Farris Architects

Studio Farris Architects was commissioned to convert both house and stables of an 18th century farm located in Lennik, a small town in an agricultural area close to Brussels, into a single family house.

Starting with a critical understanding of the farmhouse typology and research on how it would be possible to keep and reinforce its authenticity while at the same time allowing it to answer to contemporary living standards, a concept that is often seen in old farms around the area was applied. This approach has been the focus of international attention.

To provide each room with the necessary amount of natural light, windows and doors were bricked up and cut out in a pragmatic way, making the façade a whimsical patchwork of old and new scars.

A box-in-box system was created to avoid any chemical reactions with sulfates in the ground and walls of the original farm. This system also takes care of the energy-efficiency of the house.

Typological fragments are reinterpreted throughout the house. The fireplace, which is a 6 meter high, suspended steel construction, is the heart of the house.

The front garden was designed to connect the farmhouse and its outbuildings. The backyard is a patchwork of pragmatic shapes in typological materials that enhance the experience of the farm’s surroundings.

(structural engineering: Ingenieursbureau Jan Van Aelst)