园亭丨比利时丨Studio Okami Architecten

Antwerp practice Studio Okami Architecten has extended a family home in Belsele, Belgium, adding a pavilion-like volume clad in green marble that opens onto the garden.

Named The Garden Pavilion, the project was completed for a client who bought their grandparents' home, aiming to modernise the property without losing its character.

Studio Okami Architecten has extended a family home in Belgium

Studio Okami Architecten preserved as much of the existing house as possible, adding the extension to accommodate an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space.

Characterised by a sculptural roof and facade clad in green marble, the single-storey volume deliberately contrasts with the more traditional reddish-brown brick form of the original house.

Green marble characterises The Garden Pavilion

The studio said that polished green marble was chosen for its visually striking appearance, as well as its durability.

A key goal for the design was to "bring the outside in", with expansive glass doors and windows incorporated on each side of the volume, filling the space with natural light and providing a connection to the garden and changing seasons.

The original house was owned by the client's grandparents

Studio Okami Architecten co-founder Hans Vanassche said that "the form of the pavilion is derived from the fact that we wanted the building to have as much relationship to the garden as possible".

"The shape is a direct result of shading the big glass windows from the sun – where we use marble in the facades, the canopy is not as deep," he told Dezeen.

The Garden Pavilion is topped with a neutral-toned, gently curving concrete canopy, designed to complement the marble facade.

"As we wanted the marble to be the literal pillars of the project, the canopy has a much more timid materialisation with its soft concrete look emphasising the marble," Vanassche said.

A curved concrete canopy tops the extension

According to Studio Okami Architecten, the existing garden shaped the final design, with mature trees and plants providing a natural framework to work around.

The only alterations to the original garden were to make space for a new entrance and to facilitate on-site parking at the front of the property.

The extension houses an open-plan living, kitchen and dining area

Inside, the studio reorganised the layout of the existing volume to contain the home's private spaces, while shared spaces are located in the pavilion-like extension.

"By extending the original living room into the pavilion and adding the kitchen and dining area in the former centre of the garden, we were able to keep 90 per cent of the original, and just rearrange the spaces," said Studio Okami Architecten co-founder Bram Van Cauter.

Connection to the surrounding gardens was prioritised

At the heart of the open-plan living space is a stainless steel kitchen island, paired with speckled terrazzo flooring and deep bottle-green tiles to match the marble facade.

"The stainless steel kitchen is the centrepiece of the living area – it orchestrates the flow of 'public space' from the living room to the dining room and outdoor terrace," said Van Cauter.

A stainless steel kitchen island is at the heart of the living space

Other changes to the interior include the conversion of the large entrance area on the ground floor into the main bedroom for the parents, allowing space for a dressing room, home office and downstairs bathroom.

Upstairs, the original bathroom was reduced in size to create a smaller shower room, making room for three bedrooms for the children, connected to the kitchen via an open staircase.

Previous projects by Studio Okami Architecten featured on Dezeen include a home in East Flanders wrapped in patterned brick walls and a woodland villa in Antwerp with a mirrored facade.

The photography is by Tim Van de Valde.