Elise is a house renovation project in Brussels. It was squalid and illegally subdivided and has been transformed into a joint rental with nine rooms with bathrooms. The living room, dining room, kitchen and garden are shared.
The contracting authority’s goal was to work as sustainably as possible without compromising the renovation budget. A novice in sustainable construction, it called on Natura Mater to assist it with the selection of materials and of the tradesmen required to implement them. Priority was given to plant and mineral materials, while minimising the number of materials.
The roof and façade are insulated using several plant fibre products (straw and grass). The partitions are made of straw fibre panels. The acoustical insulation consists of coconut, straw and grass.
Special attention was paid to the interior. Clay, lime and cork coatings provide a trendy look and ease of maintenance. The furniture is made from recovered wood. The light fixtures and basins were selected for their low environmental impact.
