Bruno Vanbesien may be an architect by trade—but he’s also a connoisseur of office design. Back in 2008, he worked for a Swiss website that compiled profiles of architects. In his time there, he wound up visiting more than 100 offices of the best architects in Belgium. It was an education—not just in seeing how these influential designers worked, but where they worked.

“I saw all different types, some professional, some informal, and I always wondered how I would make my own office,” says Bruno.

With his BV House + Office project, he finally got the chance to put all that observation into practice, transforming a dilapidated, 3,315-square-foot residence and bakery on the outskirts of Brussels into an innovative four-story live/work hybrid of his very own.

In Brussels, it can sometimes be difficult to renovate; the city has strict guidelines about changing building facades. But the row house (and its ground-floor bakery) was in such rough shape that Bruno had a unique opportunity to take free rein. “We were able to optimize it, and design almost a new house,” he says.

Now, the ground floor is a welcoming concrete-and-wood office space, complete with desks for his team, a reference library, an office kitchen, and a private workspace for himself. The third story, meanwhile, houses the bedrooms and private bathrooms. And separating the two is a liminal living area: a space for both relaxing on Sunday afternoons with his nine-year-old son, Bob, and consulting comfortably with clients. (In the converted attic, Bruno also squeezed in a guest suite and home office beneath the building’s gable roof.)

With this sort of mixed-use design, clients can see Bruno’s work in action by exploring the light-filled, open-concept living, dining, and kitchen that show just how livable his designs can be. “It took us a long time to figure out the balance,” says Bruno. “I didn’t want to break up the house into two parts, so it’s quite mixed.”

The house is enveloped in copper, which will adopt a beautiful, weathered patina over time. Not only is it a striking aesthetic choice, but one rooted in practical Passive House principles: copper cladding is thinner than many other exterior materials (only four inches thick), which allows more room for insulation. Inside, you’re surrounded by poured concrete and ash wood: the core materials of an extremely minimalist palette.

“There are very few materials, but everything you see is real,” says Bruno—in other words, there’s not a veneer to be found here. “Everything that looks like wood is wood; everything that looks like terrazzo is terrazzo.”

Bruna was extremely hands-on for this project over the five years it took to complete. He poured concrete, plastered the walls, and even made many of the lighting fixtures. It’s a true example of the German concept of gesamtkunstwerk: a creative process where all of the different design elements combine cohesively.

Though the home may look like a vertically oriented rectangle from the outside, Bruno created a layout that’s surprisingly dynamic, with peekaboo views from one room to another, enticing sight lines and a plethora of reflective surfaces. “I’m very proud of the views you can see through the house,” says the architect. From the garden, for instance, you can see through the office, to an inner courtyard, to the kitchen.

Some may question the wisdom of living at your office, but for Bruno, being close to home only makes his work/life balance better. “Now, my son can come down if I’m working late and we can have time together. If I worked in a separate office, I just wouldn’t see him as much,” he says. Similarly, meeting with clients in the evening is now far simpler: He just pops downstairs, no commute necessary. Dream office, done.

Related Reading:

This Chicago Architect’s Vision for a Buzzy Live/Work Space Started With a Café

Why You Either Love or Hate Brutalism

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Bruno Vanbesien Architects / @bruno.vanbesien

Interior, Cabinetry, Sound, & Lighting Design: Bruno Vanbesien Architects

Landscape Design & Civil Engineering: Bruno Vanbesien Architects

Structural Engineer: Util / @util_struktuurstudies

Builders: Cuzn, Aluminium de Croock, BMS Enterprises

Cabinetry Installation: Triple D

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In Brussels, an Architect’s Copper-Clad House Makes Brutalism Warm