Wood-look blades for an attractive newbuild project

With its historic centre and vibrant city life, the charming city of Bruges appeals to young and old alike. So when you've found a spot to live surrounded by greenery but within walking distance from all the city has to offer, you've really hit the jackpot! With the Avenue residential development, the region gains 11 contemporary, light-filled apartments and two commercial premises. Traditional brickwork and modern wood-look blades form the main ingredients for a timeless façade.

Situated along a major access route into Bruges, the development sits on a highly sought-after plot. Two old homes were demolished to make way for a modern project with the perfect mix of apartments, ranging from one-bedroom flats to homes suitable for families. Inside, light colours set the tone, creating a stunning contrast with the darker façade elements in Linarte Wood Design. Both inside and outside, the development team made a deliberate choice to use superior materials for a high-quality finish. And the façade was no exception, as the development's location along a major access road into Bruges and the inclusion of commercial space called for a strong, distinctive presence.

The appearance of wood without the maintenance

Apartment blocks in architectural concrete come ten-a-penny these days. Project developer Bossuyt Vastgoed deliberately wanted a façade that stood out from the crowd by using materials other than 'traditional' architectural concrete. "We initially considered wood profiles", project leader Baptiste Bossuyt recalls, "but then, the architect told us about Linarte Wood Design. We liked the look of it so much that we held out for that product to launch." 

The possibilities offered by Linarte allowed us to tick all the boxes, especially with the added aesthetic value of the new wood-look range.

Tom Jonckheere, architect, Jonckheere architects

In the eyes of Bossuyt Vastgoed, Linarte Wood Design combined three important aspects: the warm appearance of wood, excellent fire safety and minimum maintenance. Architectural engineer Tom Jonckheere of Jonckheere IR-architecten goes on to add that: "We've worked with aluminium on countless projects to link the windows together in a stylish way. That said, when you use the same colour as the joinery, a solution of that kind soon looks a little monotonous, especially on a tall building like this one. In those cases, wood adds a nice bit of variety, even though the sun can cause it to discolour, and it gets dirty really quickly. On top of that, we wanted to make sure the garage door was neatly integrated in the façade. The possibilities offered by Linarte allowed us to tick all those boxes, especially with the added aesthetic value of the new wood-look range.

Practical benefits during and after construction

Façade cladding is often pencilled in toward the end of a construction project, to avoid any damage being caused by other building activities. And that's never a mean feat when all the pieces of the puzzle need to fall into place. "Using Linarte gave us a little more room for manoeuvre in terms of scheduling", architect Tom Jonckheere comments. "When a blade is damaged during the construction phase, it can easily be replaced at little to no extra cost. As such, there was no need to leave the cladding as late as possible in the construction process. And even after the project is finished, the fact that this system uses blades that can be clicked in individually offers a huge advantage: if any extra cables need to be added later on, you can do so in no time. Flexibility all round!"

P&S Projects fitted both the windows and the façade elements. By getting one contractor to do both, the finished product is both wind and watertight. "As always, a high-quality finish was our main priority", the site manager adds. "Linarte enabled us to seamlessly integrate all systems, as well as the garage door." A little touch of craftsmanship, and above all, a system that's easy to use. The result speaks for itself. "On earlier wood-look projects, we often didn't quite get the natural look you expect from wood. This is genuinely a great replica, which lends the building the exact look we had in mind", the architect concludes.