Around one of the old sand extraction pits, which later received the name ‘Miramar‘, plots were sold where weekend residences were built without permits. Mr. Coopmans, who was an engineer at Glaverbel in Mol-Gompel, had acquired one on the northern bank. From this country house, a preliminary design in brick still exists, consisting of a small glass hall connecting the living area block with the garage and bedroom block. The final design is contained in twelve modules of 3.10 m by 3.10 m. On the north side, four modules contain storage for the car and water sports and gardening equipment. The living area is arranged around a central wet cell, with kitchen units adjoining the living room and the bathroom, toilet, and boiler room accessible via a corridor with built-in wardrobes. The parents’ sleeping area is incorporated – eastward – into the living space, while the children’s area – westward – remained separate. The construction materials for the country house are limited to steel profiles, glass, and polyester panels. For the skeleton, Jansen chose the steel structure variant from the June 1, 1970 plan. The twenty basic elements are built like umbrellas and consist of a square RHS column of 7.5 cm by 7.5 cm with two cross-mounted IPE I-beams with a height of 14 cm. They were assembled on site. The freestanding half beams on the exterior simplify potential expansion. Initially , in summer, the owners stretched white sails between these as sun protection. Twelve white pyramids in double-walled polyester form the roof. The same shape and material can also be found in the six facade panels of the storage area. However, these are single-walled and translucent. The two end pieces are designed as gates to allow smooth drive-through. When open, they provided the family with extra privacy from the road. The other eight facade surfaces are entirely glass. The interior walls are wooden and non-load-bearing, allowing for easy modifications. The heating pipes with warm air were left visible. Jansen and Schiltz had the habit of painting all steel elements related to heat in red. The steel open fireplace, which hangs on the exterior against the facade, is also red. Yellow was another color the architects used to create accents. Here it was used for the steel skeleton.
The extensive industrialization resulted in a surprisingly and remarkably light building. The thinking behind it is very close to New Brutalism, the original form of brutalism, as it appears in the Hunstanton school (1951-1954) by Alison and Peter Smithson. Here, the emphasis is not yet on raw materials, but on extreme simplicity and an expression of construction and technical installations. This early brutalism was actually more indebted to Mies van der Rohe and even to Palladio than to Le Corbusier.
‘Architecture in the Golden Sixties – The Turnhout School, Lannoo Campus, 2012’.
