OFFICE 17

A townhouse on a narrow site in the centre of Ghent contains a set of 20 identical rooms over five levels, of which the two lower ones could be rented out as separate apartments. Each level has a repeated plan – a composition of two pairs of regular rooms, inclined to adhere to the sides of the irregular plot. These include both indoor and outdoor rooms, such as a garage or a terrace. The leftover triangular space in the middle combines with the narrow spaces between the rooms to form a cross-shaped service core containing the stairs, elevator and bathrooms. This structural core in exposed concrete makes possible the pure geometry of the rendered white rooms. Aligned enfilade openings are enclosed by glazed doors with either transparent or mirroring glass, while floor heating grills mark the thresholds between spaces. The same openings are projected onto the facade, which is aligned towards the street, with the leftover space forming a winter garden. Slight variations in the floor heights create a slightly different perception of what are effectively the same rooms, with no assigned function.