local stone and timber shape self-sufficient riverbank house by BC architects in belgium

"Woodstock by BC architects is a self-sufficient private residence built exclusively from materials extracted, processed, and assembled within a 30-kilometer radius from its site, located above a riverbank in the Belgian Ardennes. Conceived as a home and a prototype for regenerative construction, the 650-square-meter dwelling translates the studio's philosophy of 'architecture as a form of learning' into a tangible built form."

"Every element of the project is drawn from its immediate context. The wooden structure, crafted from untreated local Douglas fir, rises above the stone base on slender pilotis. The natural stone volumes, erected with lime mortar and insulated with hemp, house the technical and intimate spaces of the dwelling, including bathrooms, bedrooms, and service areas. These lithic structures rest directly on the schist bedrock through layers of compacted gravel, eliminating the need for concrete foundations."

"After seven years in the making, Woodstock becomes a built prototype for how architecture can drive systemic transformation. Brussels-based BC architects' project unites architects, artisans, engineers, clients, students, and local material producers in a shared act of making. 'We believe that systemic change in architecture must be learned through making,' the team states, framing Woodstock as an ongoing practice of transition toward a post-carbon construction culture."

Woodstock is a 650-square-meter private residence in the Belgian Ardennes built entirely from materials extracted, processed, and assembled within a 30-kilometer radius. The timber frame uses untreated local Douglas fir and rises on slender pilotis above stone volumes constructed with lime mortar and hemp insulation. Stone volumes sit directly on schist bedrock on compacted gravel, avoiding concrete foundations. Interiors use rammed earth and clay plasters tinted by red Ardennes soil and quarry waste to stabilize humidity and enrich tactile surfaces. The project functions as a prototype for regenerative, low-carbon construction developed collaboratively over seven years.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine