OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen

Villa . Keerbergen

OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen

The residence lies on the lake at Keerbergen. The lake is not, however, accessible for those who live around it.

The house, a large black volume, stands among the trees in the middle of the site. It preserves a certain distance from the lake. A water feature is included within the dwelling. A number of objects – a sauna, terrace and observation tower – stand in this water garden, seeking a relation with the lake. The house is organized around the water garden by the placement of a number of simple volumes in a continuous circuit. The inside garden is an accessible bit of water that is an integral part of the experience of the patio villa. Precisely by organizing the house as a circuit around the water garden, the attempt is made to exploit the romance of the site – the woods and the lake – to its fullest, while at the same time making a defiant gesture toward the deceptive luxury of the inaccessible lake.