A lively contrast between old and new with E-Board®

‘Many of my ancestors left an architectural trail here in Dudzele, Belgium, but none of them were architects. That’s what I wanted too – to leave my mark here. Ideally, with a unique project.’ Architect Pascal Monballiu presents a striking new-build project.

‘Coincidence or not, every time I buy a property, it’s a listed building,’ says the architect. ‘This corner house, a former inn, is too. I wanted to replace the facade with a contemporary one. I had a daring design ready, with unusual shapes. There were supposed to be six apartments on the corner, but sadly I had to cancel that plan because the building is listed.’

But Pascal didn’t let that stop him, and instead came up with a compromise. ‘I added a new family home to the left and right of the listed building. I gave those facades a separate, contemporary look. You can do that with E-Board, a flexible facade system from Vandersanden. The result is a lively contrast with the old facade of the listed building, which will be repurposed – we’re going to turn it into a care home, there’s a real need for one in this area.’

Even with the old building in between, the new facades really come into their own. ‘They're anything but ordinary, which was the intention – we didn’t want the facade image to be something that could be easily copied. It has a number of special elements. The stones are arranged vertically, which you don’t see very often in this area, and if you do, it tends to be with full stones. However, I opted resolutely opted for brick slips on E-Board.’

Brick slips and E-Board allowed Pascal to create a unique facade image. ‘The colour palette for Vandersanden’s brick slips has expanded tremendously. We combined three colours for the facades for the family homes, light shades, with darker stones in between. Combined with the vertical aspect, you achieve a nice special effect, a bit like tears or droplets.’

‘Combined with the vertical aspect, you achieve a nice special effect, a bit like tears or droplets.’

E-Board also opens up structural possibilities. ‘I could experiment with narrow strips of brickwork. You don’t get that sort of flexibility with a solid structure. For the roof extension, which would normally involve a heavy structure, a lightweight structure was sufficient, which saved time and money. If you use the E-Board facade panel flexibly, you have many options.’

The floating terrace was also created without the need for cumbersome frames. ‘A lightweight metal structure was sufficient to support the hanging brickwork, I was also able to continue the facade beautifully. The thin columns in the terrace facade are actually metal uprights enclosed with panels. They serve as handrails and offer added safety. These slimline pillars are also a creative element. They’ve won many favourable compliments.

I wanted to leave my mark here. Ideally, with a unique project.

Pascal Monballiu

Architect

‘These days, there’s no way around it – a house needs to be well insulated. Our office also acts as an energy efficiency auditor, so I understand the requirements. The insulating layer of this E-Board facade system is 12 cm thick, so we can comfortably refer to homes with the system as being “energy responsible”. With the E-Board facade panel, I can combine high insulation value with a contemporary brick finish.’ The following is a brief overview of some technical benefits:

A lot faster than traditional, vertical brickwork
A fully watertight system
An impressive range of brick slips and good service

And the installation? ‘Installing E-Board is a lot faster than traditional, vertical brickwork. The contractor simply needs to apply adhesive instead of mortar. And there is no need to install any additional systems; the foundation system is light and no hanging system is required. The contractor who installed the E-Board facade system for me usually lays floors. But the job went smoothly, as if he were tiling a shower.’

‘Installing E-Board is a lot faster than traditional, vertical brickwork’

An E-Board® facade is fully watertight if installed correctly. A crucial asset for Pascal. ‘As impressive as your project might appear, if the facades aren’t watertight, you’re going to have a problem. This project was our first time working with the E-Board® facade system, so we wanted to be absolutely certain that we were doing it right. Our contact at Vandersanden reassured us and showed us how easy the panels are to click together with the tongue and groove system. Bond them with PU adhesive and you have a single, closed insulation shell.’

Everything you need to know about E-Board®

Pascal advises clients who are looking for a suitable facade finish to visit Vandersanden’s website. ‘The website has a huge range of colours and finishes in a single, handy overview. It’s an impressive selection to choose from. You can request a sample chart right away, and clients often follow this up with a visit to one of the showrooms for advice and some added inspiration.’

So was it ‘mission accomplished’? ‘Definitely! My contact at Vandersanden gave me plenty of support, right from the outset. Every aspect of the project was carefully considered in advance, and that motivated me to have the courage to work with E-Board®. Up until now, we have always worked with an open cavity, but this system has no cavity. Nevertheless, it is watertight and insulates extremely well, I’m convinced of it.’

Explore the range

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