Strips of pre-rusted Corten steel run in vertical columns around this Belgian house by DMOA Architecten (+ movie).

DMOA Architecten designed the three-storey home, for a couple in the Antwerp suburb of Kontich.

The Corten House is named after the brand that produces the weathered steel panels that surround its walls and perimeter.

The local studio welded the material onto perforated metal sheeting to form a cladding that screens the front of the building from passing traffic. The thin plate-like sections jut out from the facade like fins.

"We wanted a material that gave the feeling of a whole," said DMOA architect Matthias Mattelaer. "But it couldn't be just closed. It had to be a hybrid material, let light in, give views to the outside world, mark a boundary."

The fins extend across front-facing windows on the two upper floors to provide protection from the sun and privacy for bedrooms.

A pair of concealed double doors open out to reveal a garage, while a smaller doorway set into a black recess creates the main entrance point to the property.

Lengths of Corten steel are planted in the landscape around the property create a perimeter fence.

This border encloses an outdoor courtyard to one side of the house, where remnants and shavings of the material from the construction create a rusty-coloured area around the base of a ginkgo tree.

The courtyard leads to the rear of the property where large expanses of aluminium-framed glazing that contrast the rich, earth tones of the weathered steel are left unscreened.

Inside, the master suite is located on the first floor and includes a bedroom, bathroom, WC, and dual office and lounge area.

A central stairwell runs all the way up to the three children's bedrooms and additional washroom facilities on the top storey.

Sliding doors in the glass walls of the lower floor open from an open-plan living and dining room – with dark-stained oak floorboards and cabinets – onto a brick terrace and swimming pool bracketed by the metal columns.

"They glow in the rusty evening sun and give a twinkling show of shadows," said the architect.

Photography is by Luc Roymans.

Project credits:
Architects: DMOA architecten (DMOA designed architecture, interior and landscaping (garden))
Architect in Charge: DMOA architecten
Collaborators: Benjamin Denef, Matthias Mattelaer, Stefanie Dieleman, Charlotte Gryspeerdt, Lien Gesquiere, Koen Paridaens engineering