Vlot

A large and beautiful apartment, but to step outside, one has to go all the way to the pavement. The rear façade offers a sweeping view. First over a garden, then over Brussels, and finally the firmament. The sun mostly glides along this elevation. Ideally, this is where the outdoor space belongs. Step through the façade: a floating raft in a sea of rooftops.

To float is, above all, to be light. The terrace is generous, yet anchored only to the façade. A steel frame holds a surface of wooden planks. Rain falls straight through the gaps; we don't need to carry the weight of water. Pulling is slimmer than pushing: two red steel rods support the lower anchors.

The balustrade does what is asked of it, but with a quiet, wilful elegance. In one corner, it becomes a corner plate with a hole for a plant. In another, it swoops upward and grows more solid. It filters the view towards the neighbour. Wood and red steel, urgent and warm, a miniature universe with the metropolis as a backdrop for family life.