Architect Willy Van Der Meeren's 1950s modernist house in Tervuren (Flemish Brabant) is being refurbished. The house was part of a housing experiment with prefab houses designed by the architect but has stood empty for years and is in need of renovation. Both the exterior and interior will be restored.
Architect Willy Van Der Meeren was asked to design a housing estate at a time of acute housing shortage after World War II. People in the 1950s were increasingly looking for a modern house with every comfort. Van Der Meeren had to design the housing estate, which was named Vierwindenbinnenhof, as quickly and cheaply as possible.
The architect worked together with a colleague Léon Palm. Together, they designed the “ECSC House”, commissioned by the European Coal and Steel Community (a forerunner of the European Union). There are eight more such houses in the Vierwindenbinnenhof estate in Tervuren (Flemish Brabant).
One such home is the one Van Der Meeren designed for himself. The 1950s architect's home was equipped with central heating that brought excess heat to the various upstairs rooms.
75,000 euros to take care of the interior and the exterior
Currently inhabited by a private owner, the house has been vacant for years and is urgently in need of refurbishment. Flemish heritage minister Ben Weyts (nationalist N-VA) is freeing up 75,000 euros to restore the house. The owner will take on 60 per cent of the restoration costs.
‘The architects Van Der Meeren and Palm went to great lengths to build prefabricated housing with as few resources as possible,’ says owner Francis Carpentier. ‘This allowed them to reduce the cost, material footprint and energy consumption of a family home.’
Contrast with building conventions of then and now
‘70 years on the house still appears so contemporary that nothing needs to be changed or added,’ says the owner. ‘The limited use of land and the social character of the residential community of eight homes sharing a site are in stark contrast to the building conventions of then and now, which devour resources.’
On the outside, the original walls will be restored. The windows, which are still single-glazed, will be replaced with tempered safety glass. Inside, the original interior will be restored.