Stark concrete house by ISM Architecten is topped with a glass study
A glass study projects from the roof of this concrete house near Brussels, but it presents an austere windowless facade to the street (+ slideshow).
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_21.jpg)
Koen Pauwels and Wim Van Der Vurst of Antwerp-based ISM Architecten designed the property for a young couple with two children, who had purchased an oddly shaped plot in a residential area called Grimbergen.
![TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_18](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_18.jpg)
From the street, TDH House appears as a monolithic concrete volume with an angular form that follows the outline of the plot. One corner is removed to create a sheltered parking area and entrance.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_9-e1447415227369.jpg)
The client is a contractor who wanted to carry out much of the construction work himself, so concrete was specified as the main building material during the early stages of the project.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
The plain in-situ concrete surfaces form a protective shell around the interior spaces, except where a glass box emerges from the sloping roof to provide views out from the upper floor.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_16.jpg)
"Originally conceived as a playroom for the kids, the glass box is now predominantly used as an office or guest room," architect Koen Pauwels told Dezeen. "It forms a nice counterpoint to the closed concrete box."
"Due to its height and the orientation we were able to open it up completely with glass without the risk of overheating."
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
Storage, staircases and a bathroom are accommodated along the building's solid edge, while openings in the other elevations are carefully positioned to make the most of the available light and views.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
Most of the house's windows are incorporated into the rear elevation, where a large aperture that extends almost the full width of the ground floor features doors that open onto a garden terrace.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
On the first floor, glazed doors set into large windows connect two bedrooms with a large shared balcony.
A master bedroom at the front of the house also opens onto a section of the balcony that extends along the property's slanted edge.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
According to the architects, the ground-floor plan is representative of the client's request for a combination of open and more private spaces that serve different purposes.
The separation of the main living area from a dedicated television-viewing room is in keeping with an emerging trend for homes that reject entirely open-plan layouts in favour of more secluded spaces.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_15.jpg)
"As they have a lot of people coming over, they wanted an open plan with only a few sliding doors," Pauwel explained. "The TV area is a separated room as they didn't want a television in the living room."
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
Natural materials are used throughout the interior to create a warm complement to the raw concrete surfaces that feature both outside and inside.
![TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_17](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_17.jpg)
"As the concrete was a given [in the project's brief], our main challenge was to complement its greyness in the choice of the interior finishings," Pauwel added.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_936_22.jpg)
Wood is applied as flooring, window surrounds and for fitted cabinetry, including the kitchen units and a freestanding unit topped with work surfaces and sinks.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_square_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
Other concrete residences on Dezeen include a property in Tokyo with a similar cutaway corner for parking cars and a house in Marseille with an angular window projecting from its board-marked facade.
Photography is by Luis Díaz Díaz.
![TDH House by ISM Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/11/TDH-House_ISM-Architecten_Brussels_dezeen_1000.gif)