Villa WIGO by CAS architects: the comeback of stamped concrete in architecture

One project, two volumes, three materials and four architects: that is residence WIGO in a nutshell, a project by the Belgian firm CAS architects in collaboration with the client/architects. If you further unravel the concrete villa, layer by layer, you will also discover a fascinating interaction between enclosed and glass spaces in the living areas, while gaining a new perspective on architecture on the boundary of open and enclosed living. 

Villa WIGO is located in East Flanders in Belgium and consists of two newly built houses that hug the front yard in an L-shape. They were combined in a design that passed through the hands of two couples of architects. With owner/architect Anton Gonnissen and wife Inge on one side and Pieter-Jan and Jovanca from CAS architects on the other, two generations devoted themselves to the project.

Classic barn typology 
Seen from the road, the first thing that stands out is the volume positioned perpendicular to the road. The building presents itself as a retake of the classic barn typology; in addition, it is simple in form and accommodates all non-residential functions and techniques. As a result, the living area is freed from dead surface allowing all living spaces to connect. Together with wood and glass, stamped concrete represents the trio of materials used for both buildings. The stamped concrete was cast in layers of different heights, the wood was dark oiled and the glass is contained in ultra-slim aluminium profiles.

Parallel to the road is the residential section. With no pitched roof and stripped of all decoration, this volume essentially emerges as a conceptual sequence of closed spaces with open, glazed volumes in between. From the entrance, you walk straight through a central corridor separating the kitchen on the left and the neatly hidden, practical spaces on the right to culminate subsequently in an open living space, intimate seating area and the master bedroom. The latter too, furnished with warm textiles, a low-beamed dark oak ceiling and bordered by landscape, manages to find the balance between expansive and secure living. Unique features here are the ground-floor bathroom with a fully sliding window that creates an indoor-outdoor showering experience and also the view from the kitchen that feels like a refreshing breath of air resembling a cut-out canvas. The sculptural concrete staircase takes you to the floor with sleeping quarters that invite adult children to a multi-day stay. Also observe a dynamic play between high and lowered ceilings and you get a cocooning, warm bolster within the concrete shell of this unique new building.

Between public and private 
Finally, some extra explanation is needed for the unfenced, wild garden plot that extends seamlessly into the adjacent agricultural fields and those behind. Only a low, thick stamped concrete wall parallel to the street marks the boundary between what is public and private and grants the front yard limited intimacy. In this way, the front garden is also turned into a meeting place and WIGO illustrates herewith that we do not literally and figuratively have to think within the box to create a living experience that reaches out and embraces without being swallowed up. 

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Photography: Tim Van de Velde