arend groenewegen architect: flemish barn

‘flemish barn’ by arend groenewegen architect, bolberg, the netherlands images courtesy of arend groenewegen architect

tucked away in the country side town of bolberg, the netherlands, sits a renovated old ‘flemish barn’ converted into an office. developed by dutch firm arend groenewegen architect, the structure takes the ingredients of the original architecture form which consists of the wooden construction, low black facade and large thatched roof; and transforms it into a functioning work space.

when the owner decided to stop his livestock business, the use of the existing barn built in the 1800, originally used for storage of hay and equipment needed a new vision. the renovation of the structure was in breach of the applicable zoning where the plot was designated as an ‘agricultural building block.’ after several years of discussions, the municipality changed the purpose of the area allowing an office to function in the space.

thatched roof

the program focused on the interior design where providing light, air and room to the inner core was the focus. shutters open up to filter natural sunlight into the 280m ² rental space where a cube was constructed to provide program requirements such as toilets and storage. the large posts correspond to the original size of the barn which has been expanded with a glass facade around the perimeter.

entrance

farmland location

black wooden slats for the framework of the building

glass facade

interior space with original wooden posts

central cube to divide the area

sketch of flemish barn

section sketch of facade

project info:

location: bolberg, the netherlands architect: arend groenewegen constructed: 1800 renovated: 2009 original function: barn new function: office collaborators: gemeente breda, frans balemans, sterk adviesbureau voor bouwconstructies bv, platowood