ocated in the forests of Overijse, a quiet residential
community south of Brussels, House Alsteens was
designed in 1967 by one of the most respected Belgian
modernists, Renaat Braem, for the political cartoonist,
graphic artist and painter Gerard Alsteens. While
Braem’s early works, no doubt influenced by the two
years he spent at Le Corbusier’s studio in Paris, are all
straight lines and rectangular shapes, the architect
later developed a softer, more organic approach in his
post-1950s work. The sculptural Alsteens house is a
composition of cascading bricks, smooth, curved walls
and a concrete roof with an overhang. Inside, white-
painted brick walls create a cocooning space, while
different levels define various zones. The entrance hall
sits at its heart, featuring original built-in furnishings.
But the centrepiece is the upstairs living room, with its
rounded corners, large strip windows and sculptural
brick fireplace. Now a listed historical monument, the
house is about to be restored to become the permanent
home of the next generation of Alsteens. Adam Štěch
For more on the architecture, see Wallpaper.com ∏L
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