Sustainable calling card
The facade truly is a home’s ultimate calling card... especially when the home belongs to an architect. As a human being – and an architect – Thibaut Perpète of architecture firm Aristo reflects on environmental issues. Even in his contemporary architecture, these bounce around like sustainable echoes in the use of aluminium cladding and the use of screens.
Thibaut Perpète opted for responsible use of raw materials and energy while also creating a beautiful facade. Of course, being an architect meant he could design the home himself, but his wishes were no different from those any resident today would have.
Symphony of modern materials
“A modern style, with pure lines and harmonious volumes about sums up the style of the house,” he says. “Nowadays, we design a lot of buildings at the request of our clients. A symphony of brick, plaster and aluminium facade cladding.”
For his own home, his goal was a monolithic facade section in contrast with the brick and plastered level. “The Renson Linarte facade cladding allowed us to create practically one singular whole that comprised the garage door, the front door and the window frames. As such, the aluminium of those components is of the same texture and colour. What’s more, the sustainable aluminium - fully reusable - allowed for perfect integration of the videophone module and lighting.”
As the sole lights sources on the facade, these integrated LED strips provide the best possible illumination of the stairway tiles, driveway and the entrance.
The architect/occupier was also impressed with the user-friendliness of Linarte. “The alu slats can be easily clicked out individually and replaced in case of damage. Also, they do not require intensive maintenance and the rain cleans the profiles.”
Screens shield glass
A second common wish nowadays is that of an open, transparent home.
“Openness is very important, and it translates into large areas of glass. However, it is important here to think ahead. With a south/southwest-facing home, you have to add sun protection to prevent overheating and maintain a liveable indoor environment. It means you are protected on hot days, but you still maintain the contact and visibility with the outside world.”
Thibaut opted for the Renson Panovista Max for both corner windows and fitted the other windows with the integrated Fixscreen Minimal sun protection. The fabric sun protection stops the sun’s rays before they reach the glass. This way, the best possible indoor environment is maintained, without the need for energy-devouring air conditioning.
