096_LAV

The renovation of this detached village house in Lonzée, in the province of Namur, Wallonia, combines improved liveability, better energy performance and a considered dialogue between the original rural building and a contemporary extension. The existing house was modest in size, with limited living space on the ground floor and low-ceilinged bedrooms upstairs. The architecture firm STARC approached the existing structure with restraint: its rural character is preserved, with only the roof profile adjusted and a dormer window added to bring light and height to the upper floor.

The single-storey extension, set to the front of the house, deliberately speaks a contemporary architectural language that contrasts with the original building. A flat roof, wide openings towards the garden, and a refined material palette combining stone and aluminium give the new volume a distinct identity that remains complementary to the whole. This assumed contrast between old and new enhances the legibility of each part while ensuring overall coherence.

Urban integration is carefully handled throughout. The village house retains its rural character through the sobriety of interventions on the existing fabric, while the contemporary extension delivers the generous living spaces the brief required. The outcome is a balanced piece of residential architecture, firmly rooted in its Walloon village context and fully attuned to contemporary standards of comfort and energy efficiency.

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