Related story: Gewad apartment block by Atelier Vens Vanbelle features brick walls and a mirrored atriumIt is covered in a skin of copper panels and supported by a copper-clad wall with concave sections removed from either end. The extension’s rounded form gives it a maritime feel, which is accentuated by the domed portholes. «The new building volume seems to have landed or washed up on the site, as a sort of retro-futuristic capsule of which one cannot determine the origin,» said the architects in a statement. Ground floor plan – click for larger imageFirst floor plan – click for larger imageSection – click for larger image At the opposite end of the bedroom is a bathroom that is entirely rendered in white polyester to give it the appearance of «a kind of cockpit». «This capsule does not refer to an era in architecture, but is reminiscent of the exploits of Jules Verne or the world that cartoonists Peeters and Schuiten recall so perfectly: a cocktail of science fiction and nostalgia.»
An expansion of the curving glass wall incorporates a new entrance porch sheltered beneath the main volume of the extension, which is connected to the original interior by a lounge space at the top of the stairs. Circular openings in the walls and ceiling allow natural light to brighten the interior, which features a curvaceous bathtub and shower area in the rounded end of the building. «At first sight the result seems a little bit odd, but at the same time it is also very obvious,» they said. Rather than attempting to evoke the appearance of the traditional farmhouse, the architects focused on giving the extension its own character to emphasise the difference between the two structures. A curving copper-clad extension punctuated by portholes has been added to a house in Ghent, Belgium, by local studio Atelier Vens Vanbelle, who describe the structure as «a cocktail of science fiction and nostalgia» (+ slideshow). The original farmhouse building had been extended in the 1990s with an uncompromisingly modern curving glass wall.
