With its historic centre and vibrant city life, Bruges (BE) appeals to young and old alike. So when you find a home surrounded by greenery yet within walking distance of everything the city has to offer, you’ve struck gold. The Avenue residential development adds 11 contemporary apartments and two commercial units to the area. Traditional brickwork and modern wood-look blades combine to create a timeless façade.
Inside, light colours contrast elegantly with the darker façade elements in Linarte Wood Design. Developer Bossuyt Vastgoed deliberately wanted a façade that would stand out from the crowd by moving away from more conventional architectural concrete. “We initially considered timber profiles,” recalls project leader Baptiste Bossuyt, “but then the architect introduced us to Linarte Wood Design. The warm appearance of wood, combined with excellent fire safety and minimal maintenance, made it the ideal solution.”
The enduring appeal of wood
Architectural engineer Tom Jonckheere of Jonckheere IR-architecten explains: “We’ve used aluminium on many projects to create visual continuity between windows. However, when it matches the joinery colour, the result can quickly become somewhat monotonous, especially on a taller building like this. Wood introduces warmth and variation, but it can discolour in the sun and requires maintenance. We also wanted to integrate the garage door seamlessly into the façade. Linarte allowed us to achieve all of that, while adding the aesthetic value of the new wood-look range.”
The choice of Linarte also brought practical advantages during construction. “With Linarte, we had greater flexibility in our planning,” says Jonckheere. “If a blade is damaged, it can simply be replaced without major cost or disruption. Even after completion, the system remains adaptable: individual blades can be removed and reinstalled easily, for example when additional cabling needs to be added later on.”