Fun chalkboard-covered passive house explores public/private space in Belgium

Maison passive en Flandre de BLAF Architecten, bien connue (notamment via BePassive). L'idée, entre autres, du tableau noir sur le mur qui invite à s'exprimer et à toucher ...

Usually parents get upset when their children draw on the wall - but not at this house in Asse, Belgium. The single family home features a playground in place of a front yard, and chalkboard paint turns the entire house into a children's art project. Designed by BLAF Architecten, the home was built using passive house principles and it explores the balance between public and private space.

BLAF Architecten finished this two-story single family residence back in 2009 in Asse, Belgium. The surrounding region is relatively dense and there is not much space available for homes with private yards. The home is sited on a leftover lot from a 1960′s housing development, and since there’s not much recreational space in the area the architects sought to incorporate public space that could be used by the family as well as their neighbors.

What would be a front yard has been transformed into a playground area with a ball court with neon painted lines. The front of the house is coated in blackboard paint, turning the home into a giant art board. The semi-public court and drawing board make the yard a hospitable public space instead of a walled off private yard.

To further reduce the impact of the project, BLAF Architecten oriented the house according to both the sun and the topography. They employed passive house building strategies to create an energy-efficient envelope and a high level of transparency for daylighting.