003 House J Ghent

The assignment is easy to formulate. A journalist, owner of a terraced house in the centre of Ghent, bought an AGA cooker because he loves cooking. He wants to build a kitchen around it.
The classical Flemish rear extension with a kitchen with overhead lighting needs to be replaced.
A new bathroom also needs to be included in the extension.
The new volume does not locate the kitchen directly adjacent to the rear of the house but at the back of the garden. The entire surface of the small plot becomes tangible and usable. An outdoor room is included in the succession of rooms. Maximum light ingress is achieved in existing and new spaces.
The kitchen is located at the back of the volume. The free-standing red AGA is accompanied by an oak worktable with sink, a compact cabinet volume contains the storage room.
The bathroom connects to the existing house and enjoys a view of the outdoor space. A bathtub is sunk into the ground, a wooden platform on top of it makes it usable as an open shower. The connection between the house and the kitchen is furnished with a library cabinet and a small work table.
The single-storey volume is implemented as a continuous movement of sloping roof surfaces with different ridge heights. The use of materials is rigid: painted masonry for the walls, slate for the floor, painted plywood for the ceilings. The joinery is made of naturally ageing wood. The opening parts are painted in different colours. Two sliding windows allow the kitchen-garden corner to be completely opened.