Highstead
Location: Sint-Lambrechts-Herk
Programme: Single-family house
Client: Private
Status: Completed in 2022
Realisation: ILB architecten
Designer: Elizabet Iglesias, Michel Bylois & Gwen Vannijlen
Landscape: PUUR Groen
Images: Philippe Van Gelooven
Set on the highest point of Hasselt, surrounded by open agricultural landscape and 360-degree views, this historic farmstead has been carefully reimagined for contemporary living. A careful reading of the site, its history and its spatial qualities forms the basis for the design, creating a continuous dialogue between the architecture and its surroundings, both within and beyond the existing walls.
The existing barns and bakehouse were restored, while the deteriorated residential wing was replaced by a new volume that continues the architectural language of the original farm. A long, pitched-roof volume and a slender cross-wing embrace the historic courtyard, transformed into a lush garden at the heart of the home. Reclaimed brickwork forms a subtle connection between old and new, while carefully positioned openings frame the surrounding landscape and bring daylight deep into the interior. Guided by the orientation of the sun, the relationship with the surrounding greenery and the original footprint of the farmstead, the project creates a contemporary interpretation of the historic ensemble while preserving its character and sense of place.
