A Modern Farmhouse with Historic Walls

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House Aartrijke is a former farmhouse in Zedelgem, an agricultural part of Belgium. Architect Atelier Tom Vanhee created this modern farmhouse barn by adjoining the old building with a modern extension, seamlessly blending old and new styles together under a pitched roof.

The extension includes the entrance hall, garage, circulation and storage spaces, while the former barn accommodates the living areas, including four large bedrooms and two bathrooms. The new addition to the home is finished with a wooden exterior, with the former brick interior visible from the inside. The buttresses and brick sections of floor show the former floor plan of the barn. All sections of the building, old and new, are connected by a pre-weathered zinc roof.

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Two chimney shaped skylights grant the first floor a view, while a third chimney creates symmetry and houses the air outlet of the heat pump. Despite the retrofit, all 318 square meters of the home are properly insulated to create a low energy footprint. Photovoltaic panels supply the majority of the electricity, while the third chimney house an air-water heat pump, which powers the low-temperature floor heating and radiators.

One modern adaptation has been replacing the old joinery with new windows, which uniformly follow the golden ratio and give an unusual nod to traditional style in a modern way.