Habitation Costa
Stavelot
This single-family dwelling, the first to be built in the allotmen, is ideally located on the border between town and forest.
Situated on the heights of Eupen, the plot, which is accessible from a dead-end secondary road, borders the Hertogenwald forest massif and overlooks the Vesdre valley.
The views of the surrounding landscape are wide and unobstructed. The plot is relatively far from the main road, which adds a peaceful atmosphere to the plot.
The house is built parallel to the contour lines. The rectangular volume organises the spaces according to their characteristics. On the street side, a carport area integrated into the volume also provides covered access to the front door. It also includes functions such as external storage and a space for storing firewood. This first part of the volume distances the living areas from the public domain.
The ground floor includes the living rooms, the master suite and the “service” areas (laundry room and scullery). The client's request stems from a long-term plan to make this ground-level space “self-sufficient”, so that it can be used later by people with reduced mobility. The living room opens onto the landscape at the end of the volume. The basement is partially underground, and contains the technical areas and the children's bedrooms facing the forest.
The vertical openwork cladding used for the façades also serves to delimit and accentuate the intimacy of certain spaces. For example, closer to the public space or facing neighbouring properties, the cladding covers the windows and acts as a visual filter. In specific locations, the cladding timbers even have an adapted cross-section to block prying glances at an angle. Where the context allows, the cladding gives way to large bay windows. This adaptation of a single material allows the volume to be seen in a uniform way, simplifying and reinforcing its distinctive morphology.
In the long term, the landscaping of the surrounding area will reinforce the volume's attitude to its environment.