Soberrijk House: A Compact and Conscious Urban Infill in Ghent

Located in the Muide district near the ring road of Ghent, Soberrijk House occupies a rare infill plot created after the demolition of a row of 1970s workers’ houses. For years, the site existed as an accidental green void: unplanned and unused: where high grasses, shrubs, and an oak tree quietly reclaimed the space. When the city decided to rebuild the urban block, this modest parcel became available for development.

Designed by Marge architecten, the project replaces three masonry buttresses previously attached to the neighboring wall. Strict building regulations defined a narrow footprint: six meters wide, ten meters deep on the ground floor, and only six meters deep on the upper levels. The result is a highly compact house, echoing the scale of the former workers’ dwellings that once stood here. A mandatory garden remains beside it, preserving the existing tree and reinforcing the balance between built form and greenery.

With a limited budget but strong ambition, the house was conceived as a low-cost, low-energy, and high-effort project. Rather than relying on expensive finishes, the design extracts spatial richness from simple architectural gestures. The kitchen roof folds upward along a sloping beam, creating a dynamic connection between the ground floor and the living area above. This subtle sectional manipulation generates a sense of generosity within the constrained volume.

From the mezzanine, residents can greet arrivals below, while the kitchen captures southern sunlight filtering through a large sitting window at the rear façade. The interplay between levels strengthens family interaction and enhances natural light distribution throughout the house.

The main roof is articulated with two gable fronts, one facing the street and one oriented to the side. At their intersection, a portion of volume is carved out to form an indoor terrace. This intervention provides light and outward views for the upper office floor while maintaining privacy within the dense urban context.

Material expression is intentionally straightforward. Visible wooden beams structure the kitchen ceiling, exposed concrete surfaces define upper floors, and 50-centimeter-thick insulating masonry forms the massive exterior walls. Reuse plays a central role in the house’s identity. Stones from the demolished buttresses were repurposed for the plinth, while overstock corrugated metal sheets clad the upper façades. Salvaged doors from a Brussels bank, hand-painted tiles, and a distinctive pink sink introduce warmth and personality to the otherwise austere architecture.

Soberrijk House stands simply beside its garden, its pointed roof and red brick recalling the clarity of a child’s drawing. In its restraint and resourcefulness, the project demonstrates how modest means can yield spatial generosity, environmental responsibility, and architectural character within a compact urban footprint.

All the Photographs are works of Melanie Boeckxstaens