Espen House

Espen House is located near Tillegembos in Bruges, along the downstream section of the Kerkebeek, within an area identified as naturally flood-prone. Rather than avoiding construction, the project embraces the site’s hydrological reality and proposes a dwelling and studio designed to coexist with water.

The ambition was to create a climate-adaptive home with workspace, capable of accommodating future functional changes while minimising ecological impact.

The central design gesture is clear: elevate the building and allow water to pass freely underneath. The finished floor level is positioned 80 cm above street level, as determined in consultation with the city and water authorities. The structure stands on columns, avoiding a continuous slab and preserving infiltration capacity beneath the house.

Inspired by the archetype of the stilt house, the project demonstrates how architecture can respond constructively to flood risk rather than resisting it.

The programme combines a dwelling (garden side) and a studio (street side), separated by a patio. Both parts can function independently, allowing future conversion of the studio into a care unit or independent living space.

The elevated position reinforces privacy and offers framed views of the wooded surroundings, while maintaining accessible entrances through gently sloping approaches integrated into the landscape.

The building is conceived as a materials bank, facilitating future recovery and reuse. Concrete is limited to individual foundation pads. Steel columns support a steel frame platform, which in turn carries a timber frame structure with bio-based infill and façade materials.

The absence of a ground slab allows continued water infiltration beneath the building. Demountability of the steel platform extends into the timber superstructure, embedding circular principles in the structural logic.

Former tree removal for a tennis court had reduced infiltration capacity. The project restores ecological balance through new tree planting, enhancing biodiversity and groundwater management.

Extensive green roofs buffer rainwater, gradually releasing it to two oversized 15,000-litre rainwater tanks. A 5,000-litre tank collects rainwater from the garden house.