A Cork Cladding to Encourage Material Sobriety.

In a context where the construction sector still too often leans toward an accumulation of technical solutions, some projects choose a different path. They advocate for a more legible, more restrained architecture, where each material has a clear and meaningful role.

The renovation of this residential building in Molenbeek, developed as part of the Ernest Living project, fully embodies this approach.

An Architecture Shaped by Social Realities:

Led by Lionel Wauters, Ernest Living aims to ease the daily lives of single-parent families, taking into account the practical and financial constraints they face.

The project is conceived as a functional and calming place to live, demonstrating that it is possible to reconcile architectural quality, low environmental impact, and social usefulness.

A Rational and Aesthetic Choice:

On the two courtyard-facing façades — the main building and the secondary structure — the project opts for exposed expanded cork, supplied by Qualy Cork.

Why this material? Because it fulfils several functions in one:

• High thermal insulation performance

• Natural resistance to weathering, without chemical treatment

• Façade cladding, left visible as a finished surface
  

This choice makes it possible to limit the multiplication of material layers, a key principle of material sobriety. Fewer layers mean fewer resources, less industrial processing, and greater constructive clarity.

Aesthetically, the cork embraces a raw, natural expression, engaging in a direct dialogue with the project without artifice. A façade that shows what it is - and why it is there.

Natural Interior Insulation: Coherence and Common Sense:

For the interiors, the same logic of sobriety and constructive coherence guides the decisions. Insulation is provided by plant-based materials, chosen for both their technical performance and their environmental and health benefits:

• Wood fibre insulation, valued for its excellent thermal and acoustic comfort, as well as its ability to provide thermal inertia and smooth temperature variations.
  

• Gramitherm, an innovative insulation material made from dried grasses sourced from public land maintenance (roundabouts, motorway verges), illustrating a virtuous, local and circular use of resources.
  

These bio-based materials offer several major advantages: they store carbon, naturally regulate humidity, and contribute to a healthy indoor climate, an essential factor for occupant comfort and well-being.

This approach is complemented by the application of lime-based plasters by Arte Constructo on part of the interior walls. Breathable and vapour-permeable, they help maintain a balanced indoor hygrometry while providing a sober and durable finish, fully consistent with the materials used throughout the project..

Optimising the Existing: An Economic and Ecological Necessity:

In a socially oriented project, cost control is inseparable from technical choices. Rather than systematically replacing existing elements, the project prioritises making the most of what is already there, notably through the recovery and reuse of the existing radiators.

This pragmatic decision reduces the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing new equipment, while remaining aligned with the project’s economic constraints. A sober, realistic approach, fully consistent with the spirit of Ernest Living.

This project demonstrates that it is possible to combine social purpose, architectural quality, and low environmental impact without technical overstatement.By reducing the number of materials and prioritising coherence and constructive legibility, building once again becomes an act that is simple, honest, and deeply human.

👏 Congratulations to the project team:

• Lionel Wauters, founder of the Ernest Living project

• Florent Hachez, Pluricite Architecture, for the architectural design

  
  

A fine example of chosen sobriety, in service of those who will call these spaces home.