ARCHITECTURAL STORIES

BY BERNARD DE CLERCK

ARCHITECTURAL STORIESBY BERNARD DE CLERCK

ARCHITECTURAL STORIESBY BERNARD DE CLERCK

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CONTENTS

Foreword 7

Architectural Stories 11

Thearchitectureofthestory 27

Selected Works 63

Redandbrightamongoldgreen 64

Apalácioamongthedunesandlagoons 86

Noœuvreuncrowned 110

Vermeer’slight 146

Rejuvenatingafamilyhome 164

Villawithorchardandshawl 182

Afriendlysphinx 194

Roofscienceandknowledgeofcolours 212

Thesunkenvillainthefernwood 228

Roofs,highandlow,playingleapfrog 240

Thehouseonthecreek 264

Mondriaan’seyrie 284

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INHOUDSOmmAIRE

Voorwoord 7

Architectural Stories 11

Dearchitectuurvanhetverhaal 27

Selected Works 63

Roodenheldertussenoudgroen 64

Eenpaláciotussenduinenenlagunes 86

Geenœuvrezonderkroon 110

HetlichtvanVermeer 146

Verjongingskuurvoorouderlijkhuis 164

Villametboomgaardensjaal 182

Eenvriendelijkesfinx 194

Dakenleerentintenkunde 212

Deverzonkenvillainhetvarenbos 228

Dakenendakjesdiehaasjeoverspringen 240

Hetkrekenhuis 264

HetarendsnestvanMondriaan 284

Avant-propos 7

Architectural Stories 11

L'architecturedel'histoire 27

Selected Works 63

Rougeetlumineuseaumilieud’unevégétationancienne 64

Unpalácioentredunesetlagunes 86

Pasd’œuvresanscouronnement 110

LalumièredeVermeer 146

Curedejouvencepourmaisonfamiliale 164

Villaavecvergerenécharpe 182

Unsphinxamical 194

Lasciencedestoitsetl’artducamaïeu 212

Lavillaenfouiedanslesfougères 228

Jeudetoitures 240

Lamaisondescriques 264

Nidd’aigleàlaMondrian 284

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FOREWORD

Inrecentyearsseveralbookshavedrawnattentiontooneor

morehousesandbuildingsdesignedbythearchitectBernardDe

Clerck.Thetimeisnowripeforabookentirelydevotedtothis

architect,whoseworkshowsagreatdealofspontaneityand

greatcreativity.

Weknowfromexperiencethatheisagoodlistener.Hevery

quicklyunderstandswhathisclientswant.Oftenhisveryfirst

designimmediatelystrikeshome.Thereisnobetterwayto

illustratehissensitivitytohisclients’wishes.

Hisarchitectureisthereforeneverunrelatedtothepeoplefor

whomthehouseorlivingspaceisintended.Andyetyouwillsee

inallhisprojectstheunmistakablehandofthisarchitectwho

studiesthewholesubject,thehouse,theenvironment,the

history,thetraditionalmaterialsandthespecificcharacteristics

ofthearea.Hefirmlyrootsthehouseshedesignsorrenovates

inthelandscape,oftenalsosketchesinthegenerallinesofthe

gardenanddeterminestheatmosphereoftheinterior,forwhich

heoftenindicatesthecolourandforwhichhehasonmorethan

oneoccasiondesignedspecificfurniture.

BernardDeClerckisundoubtedlyaconceptualarchitectwhois

notintheleastconventional,evenifhefindshisinspiration

notonlyinancienttimes,theRenaissanceandtheArtsand

Craftsmovement,butalsointhelocalarchitecture.

Eachhouse,eachlivingspace,eachclusterofbuildingsfromthe

handofBernardDeClerckisbasedonastoryandisthe

beginningofanewone.Itisbothtimepresentandtimepast.

Timeless,warm,withclearlinesandwithasensitiveattention

todetail.

PhotographerJoPauwelsandBernardDeClerckhimselfhave

clearlyillustratedanumberofthearchitect'srecent

achievements,andtheauthorIvoPauwelshandsthereaderthe

keyswhichwilltakehimintothearchitectureofthisprominent

masterbuilderofmoderntimes.

ThePublishers

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VOORWOORDAVANT-pROpOS

Verschillendeboekenbesteeddendejongstejarenaandacht

aanéénofmeerwoningenenhuizenvandehandvan

architectBernardDeClerck.Nuisdetijdrijpvooreenboek

datvollediggewijdisaandezearchitectdiespontaanen

uiterstcreatieftewerkgaat.

Uitervaringwetenwedathijgoedkanluisteren.Hijbegrijpt

zeersnelwatzijnopdrachtgeverswensen.Vaakiszijn

allereersteontwerpalonmiddellijkeenvoltreffer.Duidelijker

kanzijninvoelingsvermogennietgeïllustreerdworden.

Zijnarchitectuurstaatdusnooitlosvandemensenvoorwie

hethuisofdewoningwordtgebouwd.Entochziejeinalzijn

projectenonmiskenbaardehandvandezebouwmeesterdie

aandachtheeftvoorhetgeheel,hethuis,deomringende

natuur,degeschiedenis,detraditionelematerialenende

specifiekekenmerkenvandestreek.Hijverankertdehuizen

diehijontwerptofrenoveertinhetlandschap,tekentvaak

ookdealgemenelijnenvandetuinuitenbepaaltdesfeervan

hetinterieurdathijvaakzelfkleurgeeftenwaarvoorhijmeer

daneensspecifiekemeubelenontwerpt.

BernardDeClerckiszondermeereenconceptueelarchitectdie

allerminstconventioneelis,alvindthijzijninspiratiezowelin

deoudheid,deRenaissanceendeArts-and-Craftsbewegingals

indeplaatselijkearchitectuur.

Elkhuis,elkewoning,elkeclustervangebouwenvandehand

vanBernardDeClerckisgebaseerdopeenverhaalenwordt

opnieuwverhaal.Hetisgeschied en is.Tijdloos,warm,helder

vanlijnenmeteenfijngevoeligeaandachtvoorhetdetail.

FotograafJoPauwelsenBernardDeClerckzelfbrachten

enkelerecenterealisatiesvandearchitectklaarenduidelijkin

beeldenauteurIvoPauwelsreiktdelezersleutelsaandie

hemdearchitectuurvandezeprominentehedendaagse

bouwmeesterbinnenleiden.

Deuitgevers

Cesdernièresannées,plusieursouvragesontprésentéuneou

plusieursréalisationsdeBernardDeClerck.Letempsestvenu

aujourd’huid’enéditerunquisoitentièrementconsacréàcet

architecteautalentspontanéetextrêmementcréatif.

Noussavonsparexpériencequ’ilsaitécouter.Ilcomprend

instantanémentcequesescommanditairessouhaitent.

Souvent,sapremièreesquisseestdéjàlabonne.Onne

pourraittrouverdémonstrationplusclairedelaqualitédeson

intuition.

Sonarchitecturen’estdoncjamaisdétachéedesgenspour

quil’habitationestconstruite.Pourtant,onreconnaîtdans

chaqueprojetdesamainunemêmeattentionpour

l’ensemble,lamaison,lanatureenvironnante,l’histoire,les

matériauxtraditionnelsetlescaractéristiquesspécifiquesde

larégion.Ilancrelesbâtimentsqu’ilconçoitourénovedans

lepaysage,tracebiensouventleslignesgénéralesdujardin

etdétermineaussil’atmosphèredel’intérieur,qu’ilcolore

souventlui-mêmeoupourlequelildessinedesmeubles

personnalisés.

BernardDeClerckestniplusnimoinsunarchitecte

conceptuelanti-conventionnel,mêmesicesontl’Antiquité,la

Renaissance,lemouvementArtsandCraftsouencore

l’architecturevernaculairequiluifournissentl’inspiration.

Chaquemaison,chaquehabitation,chaqueensemblesigné

BernardDeClerckestfondésurunehistoireetenécritune

autre.Uneréactualisationconstante,ensomme.Intemporelle,

chaleureuse,auxlignesnettesetopéréedansunsouciaigu

dudétail.

JoPauwels,photographe,etBernardDeClercklui-mêmeont

magistralementfixéunesériederéalisationsrécentesde

l'architecte,tandisqu'IvoPauwels,auteur,donneaulecteur

lesclésdel'œuvredecetéminentarchitectecontemporain.

Leséditeurs

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ARCHITECTURAL STORIES

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THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE STORY

The story of an architect

Infrontofmesitsamanwithremarkablycleareyes.Hisspeechisthoughtful,asifheiscontinuallylookingforclearlines

inwhathesays.Itisnotalegalargument.BernardDeClerckisnotpleadingaformalcase.Andalthoughhespeaksinsober

terms,whathesaysisilluminative.Youcanpicturehimatwork.Morethanotherarchitectsheisaffectedbythelandscape.

Theclientmaylivetherealreadyorhasjustboughtaderelicthouse,orwantsanentirelynewhouseonhissite.Theposition

ofitalwayshasacertainmagicfortheclient.Whythereexactly?Onaslopeoratthefootofone.Inawoodlandofvertical

trunksoronthecoast,wherecoastlineandhorizonarecompletelylevel.

Probing for the inner landscape

Assubtleasheiswhenheistalking,architectBernardDeClerckcanalsolisten.Obviouslytothewishesofhisclient.Hedoes

nottalkofclients,butofpeople.Andthatismorethanjustadistinction.Heprobesintowhotheyare,thepeoplewhowill

liveinthehouse.Whattouchesthem?Whatkeepsthemoccupied?Whataretheirdreams?Inthatsensethisarchitectisa

biographerwithagreatsensitivity,someonewhoprobestheinnerlandscapeofthepeopleforwhomheworks.‘Bynomeans

doallpeoplewantthesamething,andyoucan’treadeveryone’smind,’saysBernardDeClerck.‘Oftentheirviewofthingsis

important.Andtheycangiveyouaguideline.Butsometimesadistinctvisionislacking.Oritisonlypresentinadormant

state.ThenmyworkgoesdeeperandIhavetoattemptto“live”inthehousewhichtheyunconsciouslyvisualize.Thatgives

youagreatdealoffreedom,butatthesametimeitcommitsyoutoanevengreaterresponsibility.’

IthinkofthewordsofWaldaPairon.‘Ahousehastobehappywithitsownemptyspace.’Itisaniceandtrueone-liner.

BernardDeClerckmakeshousesthataregoodtoliveinforhisclients.Inhisopinionarchitectureimpliesinthefirstplacea

home.

Hiswillingnesstolisten,togetherwithhiswillingnesstoputhimselfattheserviceofpeople,isoneofthepillarsofhis

successasapresent-dayarchitect.Itisnotthestylethatisofthegreatestimportance,butitisthefutureoccupier.The

peopleheworksforundoubtedlysensethat,whetherornottheyareconsciousofdoingso.

Thatworking-for-peopleisonlyoneofthepillarsonwhichBernardDeClerck’sarchitectureisbasedanditonlybecomesclear

whenhestartstalkingaboutnature,theenvironment,inshort,thelandscape.‘Allprojectshavetobeintegratedwithnature.

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Thereisalwaysavalidstartingpointsomewhere.Evenifitisanoldlimetreeineverydaysurroundings.ButoftenIam

impressedbythelandscape.Igoforawalkintheneighbourhoodoftheplotorthehousethatneedsrenovating.Itryto

listentothelandscape,tothewindwhichforevercomesandgoes,whiletakingtimealongwithit.Inthatsensewindis

timeless.’

Thewindneverstopstalking.BernardDeClerckeveninspiresthepoetinme.Iseehiminmymind’seye,whileheputs

outhisfeelersforanewcommission,walkinginthelightlyundulatinglandscapeoracrossthedunestothebeachandthe

waterline,wherehestudiesandfeelsthestonesoftheoldpier.Iseehimstandstillbythatlimetree,towhichthewindhas

tolditsadventuresforsomanydecennia.Inwhichheartshavebeencarvedwhichhavenowbeenobliteratedbynewbark.

Iseehimdaydreaminthatoldhousewhereeveryoneacceptsthatwallshaveears,butnoonebendshiseartowardsthe

patinatedwalls–oritwouldhavetobeBernard.

AnumberofBernardDeClerck’sprojectsillustratehowthisgiftedarchitecthastakeninthelandscape.Henotonlylistensto

theoldstoriesandseesthearchitecturallinesofferedbythelandscape,hetakesinthewarmthorthecoldnessofthecolours.

Coloursandtintswhich,likeMondriaan,heabstractsintoplanesofgreatharmonyorelsewherecopiespatinatedinthepaint

ofthewalls,thedoorsortheshuttersasinhisownhouseinLotenhulle.

BernardDeClerckisnodreamer,atleastnotinthetraditionalmeaningoftheword.Heisavisionary.Whatis,afterall,more

concretethanabuildingofstone,steeland,infact,concrete.Andisn’tinspirationadream?Adaydreamnourishedbythe

greyoftheclouds,thetreesliningthebrook,thecoppices.

‘Iamoftenmoved,’saysthisarchitect,‘whenIarriveforthefirsttimeataplotorahousewithcharacterwhichliessplendidly

inthelandscape,inafieldfullofwildflowers,lookingoutonaclumpoftrees,ameanderingbrook,anelderspreadingits

whiteflowerheads,amareanditsfoal.Insuchacaseyouhavetopullthelandscapetowardsthehouse.Youhavetokeep

thisinteractioncontinuallyinyourmind.ThatiswhyIoftensketchthegardenin,atleastthemostimportantaxesandlines,

whicharethenworkedoutindetailbygardenarchitectswhosharemyvision.’

No time and no distance

BernardDeClerck’sarchitectureisnevertrivial,butauthenticandbasedonlongexperience,privatestudyandafeelingfor

proportions.

Afeelingforproportionsisofcourseabasicrequirement,asine qua nonforeveryarchitectworthyofthename.‘Thearchitect

MarcCorbiau,forwhomIworkedforeightyears,wasagreatteacher.Hebasedhisdesignsontheclassicalarchitectureofthe

Egyptians,theGreeks,theRomansandtheharmoniousmanneriststyleofarchitectureofPalladio,themostimportantItalian

architectoftheRenaissance.Thisclassicalarchitecturegivesme,too,importantbuildingbricks.

Respectably old and brand new

Imyselfwasfascinatedatanearlyagebythelogicalarchitectureofsimplecountryhouses,farmsandotheroldhouses.Old

houseshaveasoul.Mysketchesalsotriedtoembracethatsoul.Andifpossible,thesoulofthestreet.Evenahousecan

moveyou.’

Whohasneverhadaninclinationtogointoanabandonedhouse,tosnifftheatmosphere,tositdownforamoment,tothink

upastory…Wholivedhereandworkedbetweenthewalls,inthesunlightthatcamesparinglyintothehouse?Thenyoucan

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