Front yard, Antwerp, 2015

The showcase of an old historical residential and commercial house in Neo-Flemish Renaissance style was transformed into a façade window featuring a front garden. The house already had a shady north-east oriented courtyard at the rear, where only ferns thrive. To this, a south-west oriented front garden was added.
The new front garden serves as a social interface with the surroundings and acts as a voile: a decorative green screen that tempers sunlight and prevents excessive visibility from the outside. Depending on the plant types and the season, the window opening is partially covered, mostly covered, or completely covered. The front garden is situated inside at half a meter above floor level and outside at 2 meters above street level.
The front garden was realized using two powder-coated steel flower box strips. The first strip is entirely anchored to and integrated into the front façade. The second strip consists of five separate, removable elements that are hooked onto the first strip but can also be placed as autonomous units inside the house."