Beauty and inspiration
Beauty and inspiration
Imagine a space where you feel so much at ease that you don’t want to leave. This is beauty. This is true wellbeing. As human kind we are genetically predisposed to seek two things survival and pleasure and on daily basis we can sometimes feel like it’s more about the survival than the pleasure. Especially then we need the power of nature and delightful architecture to bring us back to balance. Inspiration and beauty have a fundamental role in our lives. We all desire to immerse ourselves in beautiful places where we can regain energy and inspiration. What kind of places are these? Mostly such which make us feel excited or relaxed while using different senses.
There is no doubt that the strongest sensory experiences are connected to light, greenery and water. In particular running water with sound, movement and reflection. This is why so many people adore going to the seaside and having apartments facing this natural wonder.
While designing residential project Admiral in Oostende we decided to focus on exactly that. We were going to design a beautiful building that maximizes the enjoyment of being at the seaside. The site Oosteroever showcases a lot of attractive architectural forms, material combinations and above all the natural surrounding including the inner garden is just breathtaking.
The Admiral project is rather small simple volume but it occupies a unique front position within the building complex.
Our aim was to work with high level of transparency to enhance the incredible views and at the same time to create a robust building. A building that combines the feeling of privacy and protection from the sea breeze with elegance and refinement. We saw this building as a delicate but strong jewel.
Balcony has a key role in our modern homes and it’s also the element which adds depth to architecture. We formed the balconies from the building block with oblique lines like when cutting a diamond. The merging of the partition wall and ceiling refers to the facets of a polished gemstone. As a material, we have chosen ceramic natural stone with a subtle texture that unites high-performance technical features with refinement, timelessness and durability.
The light warm color palette provides a seamless connection with the surrounding dunes and the gold-colored exterior joinery and decorative moldings to emphasize the elegance of the whole. The railing at the sea side is completely made of glass to emphasize the stunning views and also to protect from the wind. On the other hand the railing along the inner garden is made of aluminium to provide human scaled intimate atmosphere. Architecture has the ability to create a strong relationship between people and the environment. In this project simplicity, noble materials and beautiful views are meant to be the source of our daily inspiration. A place you don’t want to leave.
Written by Petra Ross, Project architect CONIX RDBM Architects
