In the Flemish Ardennes, JUMA architects designed this unusual new house located on a hill overlooking several picturesque church towers.
The black charcoal cladding made from Marugame boards in the design aims not to demand all the attention but rather to blend in with the surrounding nature.
Nevertheless, this modern house is a striking appearance that you will want to look at.
The sleek shapes, the large windows and sliding doors and the black blinds make you curious about what is behind them. And of course, what is great is that Marugame can be admired from everywhere.
The “Paradox.” Burning wood to protect it.
It sounds contradictory — but it’s brilliant.
At ORGA, we’re big fans of biobased materials that truly prove their worth. Take our collaboration with Zwarthout | Shou Sugi Ban, for example. By charring wood using the centuries-old Shou Sugi Ban technique, a natural protective layer is created — without the need for paint or chemicals.
The result is a façade with character, built to last for generations. In the three recent projects, we’ve seen how it creates a robust, timeless appearance, while simultaneously contributing to refined, high-quality architecture.
Less maintenance, and a building that only becomes more beautiful with age.
That, to us, is what truly future-proof design looks like.
“We recently replaced the potted decked timber on our farmhouse in the Beemster region with Shodoshima semi-gloss from Zwarthout l Shou Sugi Ban. With special planks 25 cm wide, it looks great on a farmhouse. A very beautiful product and great service from Zwarthout l Shou Sugi Ban!”
”We chose Yoroi for several reasons. First of all, we like the Japanese classical technique used for burning the bamboo. Due to the burning technique Shou Sugi Ban, Yoroi has a fire class B and is maintenance-free. Finally, the black charred bamboo is a regrowable material and aesthetically matches our design perfectly.”
”As a gardener, it is an honour to work with such beautiful traditional products.
The delivery times are also great and you get friendly service.”
We have put together two Zwarthout | Shou Sugi Ban sample boxes: one for interior design applications and one for façade cladding.
That way, you can experience the attention, care and love we pour into each piece of wood yourself. And, of course, the beauty and exclusive looks the various textures have to offer.
