The Corten House by DMOA architecten is surrounded by weathered steel fins

The thin plate-like sections jut out from the facade like fins. A central stairwell runs all the way up to the three children’s bedrooms and additional washroom facilities on the top storey. Photography is by Luc Roymans. The local studio welded the material onto perforated metal sheeting to form a cladding   that screens the front of the building from passing traffic. The Corten House is named after the brand that produces the weathered steel panels that surround its walls and perimeter. «They glow in the rusty evening sun and give a twinkling show of shadows,» said the architect. It had to be a hybrid material, let light in, give views to the outside world, mark a boundary.»
The fins extend across front-facing windows on the two upper floors to provide protection from the sun and privacy for bedrooms. Inside, the master suite is located on the first floor and includes a bedroom, bathroom, WC, and dual office and lounge area. «But it couldn’t be just closed. This border encloses an outdoor courtyard to one side of the house, where remnants and shavings of the material from the construction create a rusty-coloured area around the base of a ginkgo tree. DMOA Architecten designed the three-storey home, for a couple in the Antwerp suburb of Kontich. Sliding doors in the glass walls of the lower floor open from an open-plan living and dining room – with dark-stained oak floorboards and cabinets – onto a brick terrace and swimming pool bracketed by the metal columns. The courtyard leads to the rear of the property where large expanses of aluminium-framed glazing that contrast the rich, earth tones of the weathered steel are left unscreened.